Crossing the Borderline
by navyfail
Summary: Aaliyah Herseth did not expect to start (fake) dating Albus Potter in her sixth year. She didn't expect it to become too serious either. (A tale of deceptions, newspapers, cunning boys, and frantic heartbeats)
1. Aaliyah: The Meeting

I walk down the empty hallway, letting my eyes wander across the ancient paintings that decorate each wall. Most of them are empty, hence the silence.

As I make my way further down the corridor, I notice that some of the paintings, indeed, aren't empty. Some of them are in their own paintings while others are visiting neighbouring ones.

"Did you hear about the hooligan that dung-bombed the classroom on the-"

"Oh boy that doesn't sound too good! It turns out that old Myrtle is having a visitor. I heard he was just-"

"using her for information about Peeves, I know! But it's not like she knows anything about catching Peeves ….."

"Have you heard about that painting on the second floor that got vandalised? Turns out a Hufflepuff drew all over it with his wand. The nerve of some people! If that was me, than I would have…."

I roll my eyes at hearing these bits of conversation. Paintings these days sure did gossip a lot.

 _They also snore a lot_ , I add as an afterthought as I tip-toe past a snoring one that happens to come from the time they wore powdered wigs.

After a couple minutes, I am at a empty hallway. Seeking my destination, I start counting off the vacant classrooms to the right side of the hallway.

At number seven, I stop. Looking at my feet I can feel the fear bubbling inside me, slowly consuming me. It has been a long time since I've been to any of these interviews and I'm not exactly sure what crisis awaits me on the other side of the door.

I hate this fear that lives inside of me. It's not like it has any right to be there. It's better to just push it to the back of my mind. That way I don't have to think about it. Yet, it comes back on some occasions.

 _Blink._  
It is still there.

 _Blink. Blink._  
It's laughing at me now. A slow, hollow laugh. It wants to let the moment last more than it should.

 _Blink._  
It's gone (for now at least).

I adjust the strap of my school bag. My hands are shaking, making me glare at them. 'You're going to be fine,' I reassure myself, trying to be more confident.

Letting out a breath, I turn the doorknob and push open the rusty door. It makes a loud squeak directing all three pairs of eyes on me. Avoiding their piercing gazes, I close the door as gently as possible.

When I turn, my sister's deep blue eyes await me. She looks relieved. Her face then breaks out into a grin, a full one that reaches her eyes. I nod, acknowledging her presence. I can tell she is surprised. She has never been very good at hiding her emotions. But then, neither have I.

I slip my bag off of my shoulder and place it on an empty table nearby. The room is one that looks like it hasn't been used in a couple of years. A number of spider webs hang in the corners and the windows are tinted with dust. A couple of moments later, I take a seat in front of a certain hazel-eyed, black-haired seventh year.

"I see you made it, Aaliyah! Gabby here was freaking out about when you would get here," he says, looking at me mock-stern.

"I did not!" protests my sister, causing me to laugh. This lot has always managed to get me to smile. It's like they spread happiness when they are around you. I have missed them bunches this past year.

When I am done smiling, I look next to me to see a stranger with emerald eyes looking at me curiously. I raise an eyebrow at him. In return, he shrugs before returning to his conversation with my sister. Weird, he usually never pays me any attention.

Technically, of course, he isn't a stranger. The boy with the dark hair and brooding eyes is none other than Albus Potter. Of course I know his name-who doesn't? But I don't know the real him at all. He's as much a stranger to me as any unknown first year. He and his brother look a lot alike with their jet-black, messy hair and tall, broad structure. But the middle Potter is a Slytherin. Yes, I repeat, a Slytherin. His family doesn't shun him or anything but it was a huge shock to them when they found out.

James is, of course, a Gryffindor by heart. However, the differences between the two don't end here. James has this care-free nature, a warm smile that makes you want to grin back, and is always up to something while Albus is a bit more conservative and harder to figure out. I've heard that his eyes never reveal a thing. It's like he blocks out the world in some way. Most people perceive it as emotionless or heartless.

My sister would disagree, though. She once said that he just has some trust issues and thinks of things differently.

I guess that explains how James and I were childhood friends and why I didn't in any way get to know Albus other than the rumours that go around.

"How's it going Jamesie? Any new pranks you're planning?" I ask.

"Sadly no, we're trying to keep it low for a while," James says, giving me a half-hearted smile. He looks defeated to say the least.

"You're staying low for a while?" I ask, not believing a word of it. Ever since James entered Hogwarts he has been wreaking havoc in all ways possible. And I do mean in all ways, whether it is by dying someone's hair, or tap dancing in the Great Hall or even confessing his love for Professor Longbottom (No joke. That did actually happen).

"Well, a couple of weeks ago, Jack got caught when we did the Slytherin prank." That prank was pure genius. You can't expect any less from them. Most of the Slytherin guys had pink robes while the girls had deep voices. Every time one of the female snakes tried to flirt with someone, the guy vanished before a minute was over. There went their self-esteem, I guess. "It was pretty obvious that Fred, Aiden, and I were involved in it too, but McGonagall found no proof so we were off the hook. Jack has four months worth of detention though."

"Well, that's not that bad."

Right at that moment Albus tunes into our conversation and thinks it would be nice to use his sarcasm. "Sure, 'cause scrubbing the Great Hall for a month and cleaning out Slughorn's troll wax jars isn't that bad," he finishes off by drawing the last word out longer than necessary.

"Just trying to be positive," I mutter under my breath. Sadly, the Potter sitting next to me hears what I say and just smirks at me, knowing he won whatever this is. James just sighs.

"I guess I misjudged McGonagall. Under her strict disposition, I always thought she had more of a Dumbledore personality you know. The 'I'll let you off the hook as long as you don't do anything else that disrupts the students' thing Dad told us about." says James, sighing into his hands.

I think about his words for a while. McGonagall is more strict nowadays. In first and second year she was more light-hearted and calm. Maybe her old age is getting to her. "Well I guess we underestimated her. Do you think she still talks to Dumbledore's painting? The one that is in her office?"

James seems a little hesitant. He finally gives an easy one-word answer, "Probably."

Soon we wave away the topic and start discussing the subject of importance: Quidditch. Gabby is clearly the only one who isn't that interested in this particular topic.

A couple of minutes later, James and Albus start arguing about which team is better; the Chudley Cannons or the Harpies. Obviously, the better team is the Chudley Cannons, who are currently kicking arse. Albus is clearly delusional for thinking that the Harpies have a chance against them. I bet that he's biased since his mum used to play on that team.

Our conversation ends suddenly when a noise is heard by all four of us. It's coming from the hallway. We all sit there, not daring to utter a word. It is an all too familiar sound.

 _Click-Clack. Click-Clack._

Everyone, excluding Albus, freezes, looking at each other frantically. You know when you are expecting someone but are secretly hoping that they won't show up? I think that is what we all were anticipating and craving for, except for the smug middle Potter, who is currently looking at us calmly, with a side of amusement perhaps?

For some reason he directs this amused look at me. And before I can react, he smirks at me for some unknown reason, as if he knows something I don't. This causes me to fidget in my seat, feeling uncomfortable by the attention. Reaching closer, he takes a strand of my hair, looks at it questioningly, and then lets it go quickly. He gives his attention back to James and Gabby, hands drumming in a calm, bored manner.

At this point, I am annoyed with him. I don't have a specific reason to be, but I am. He blamelessly has that serene manner that a lot of people can't pull off. You know those human beings that don't react to anything? It's like nothing affects them; they somehow have no breaking point. They never have that moment when they just crack which is then followed by them going completely bizarre.

Albus Potter is definitely one of them. He is one of those people that just doesn't crack.

I call those people The Emotionless Ones. And for some unknown reason I want to make him squirm. I want to make him uncomfortable, to know that he is capable of REAL human emotion so everyone can see that Albus Severus Potter is able to show affection, sorrow, rage, remorse, and all that other shit people want to push away.

I guess the rumours about him are true.

Those thoughts are forgotten when I hear the _click-clack_ of heels louder. She is coming closer. It won't be long before she's outside the door. And in those few minutes the only thing going through my mind is a flashing neon sign that reads, 'ABORT MISSION! ABORT MISSION!'

I am so engaged in rationalising my options (meaning making a run for it before that death trap gets here) that I don't notice the pair of eyes that are focused on me.

A shudder passes through my body as I slowly realise that someone, in fact, is watching me. That person is watching me very closely, too closely. I carefully swivel my body to the right to see that he is staring right at me again, waiting for my reaction patiently. I bite the inside of my cheek waiting for him to say something, anything really.

A couple of seconds pass, no one blinks. The gases that we call air are getting heavy, really heavy. I feel the competitiveness, the determination of not backing down without a fight. (The fight is a staring contest. Laugh if you want, but it is still a fight through and through.)

Reserved, his face is absolutely reserved. His eyes show depth as if you can search through them forever, yet never ever find the answer you are seeking. It's hard to explain what they make you feel like, but it is even harder to look away from those green gems.

I see a flicker of emotion pass through them. I can't put my finger on what it is. Is it sorrow? Is it hurt? No, it is neither, I know that for sure. And then, it clicks. My eyes widen as I recognise what the emotion is: Pity. Quickly, my eyes narrow. _Pity_ , I think with disgust. I wrinkle up my nose in dislike.

His face then loses its collected grip and softens. He isn't looking at me anymore. He is looking past me. I haltingly circle around to face the direction that captures his attention.

I am met with a person. Not just any person. It is her, the blonde devil. I haven't had a good talk (more like an argument) with her in months. All she does is stand there, looking at all of us with a sickly-sweet smile plastered over her face.

* * *

I'll be honest; I don't hate her, not really. I have always believed in the saying "Evil isn't born. It's made." At some point in her life Ronan was good or better than what she is now.

I remember on the first day of being a Hogwarts student, I saw her. Well, I think it was her. Anyway I saw someone my age, just a bit shorter than me. She had chestnut coloured wavy hair and the lightest shade of blue-green eyes. Her hands were shaking like mine and the crowd consumed her. That isn't why she caught my attention, though.

It was because she was like a light bulb. Her face put on an exhibition of all of her emotions- nervousness, annoyance, excitement, worry, confusion. Any you could imagine was there, painted on her face. It was like a play where her hair was the curtains and her eyes and expressions were the stars of the show.

Moving on from that memory, there is also another curious event in history, (well, not history per se, but it happened a couple of years ago so it counts) when the first Ronan Daily came out. No one can really recall how it occurred or when it occurred. It just happened.

All I recall is that, it was somewhere in the middle of third year. At first it wasn't that interesting. She reported about small stuff like new Weasley Wizard Wheezes products and silly bets that the Gryffindors made. Then fourth year hit and everything went downhill from there. From then Charlotte Ronan was known as 'The Hurricane'. Yes the 'the' is necessary.

If there is a break-up or some sort of gossip that you want to hide, she will find out. It's rather that or her cronies (first and second year Puffs) will find out. It is way easier to just tell her because if you don't she'll smear it across the walls of Hogwarts and not in a good way. She will twist the story, she will make your name look worse than bad, and you will have to shield yourself from the students.

She has the power to destroy your reputation. And she knew that. And because of that she has all the power.

You know how in poker there is always one person who has the upper-hand? The person with the upper-hand is her. _Always._ She has the ace(s) and even if you have a good card, you don't have a chance against her because somehow she knows how to use your own cards against you. And that is the worst fate of all: knowing you are your own downfall.

* * *

Her teal eyes land on James first; I see specks of red appear. Hunger, that's what I read from her eyes. She shifts her eyes to my sister for a short second. Her gaze quickly passes over to Potter. First, there is a nod, then a frown, and lastly a blink. Potter just studies her: noticing her every expression, reading her every emotion.

Finally her eyes land on me. She is looking at me, the Ravenclaw who she failed to break down no matter how much she tried.

She is flabbergasted, yup, completely and utterly shocked. We glare at each other, calculating each and every motion, predicting our next moves. 'Don't back down now,' I warn myself.

Charlotte Ronan then flashes me her famous smirk, the devil's smirk. Flicking her wand, a notepad and quill appear in her hand. She pulls up a wooden chair and takes a seat looking at us expectantly. It's like hell itself sent her here except that it didn't. James and Gabby did.

No one says anything. I suddenly find a fascination in my nails. If you are wondering, they are painted navy blue with sparkly stars. It's okay to be jealous.

"So which one of you is going to speak first?" she inquires plainly, nodding at both James and Gabby. Looking at each other uncertainly, James speaks first.

"Well, um…. what do you want to know?" He's anxious. I can tell by the way he is running his hands through his hair. It's one of his annoying habits, though girls seem to swoon over him more because of it.

"A story. I want a story," she says as if it is the most obvious thing in the world. Charlotte continues to examine the pair before continuing, "Why don't you start by stating why you broke up?"

"We broke up because it wasn't working." I guess my sister does have a voice. "A relationship is a promise to take a chance to see if it will work out. Once both parties don't want to continue it, then it's over." Her voice has authority. It demands attention. I only saw her use this voice a few times in her life: once when she convinced Mum to let her go to Germany for two weeks with our cousin and another time when she confessed something to a certain someone. That story I'm saving for later though.

"Both parties?" Ronan inquires.

"Yes." The grip my sister has on her seat tightens while her jaw juts out slightly. Probably runs in the family to get annoyed by reporters.

Suddenly James does something I don't expect. He touches my sister's hand gently like when a feather drops slowly to the ground. Her grip on the chair eases and he takes the chance to curl his fingers around her delicate ones.

The two of them were hand-in-hand in front of Ronan, showing her that they could take her on. That they could equally size up any question she threw at them. But it also shows a spark of togetherness that could hint that they still have something going on.

Albus must have seen the whole thing occur since his lips are pressed together in a straight line. It shows that he doesn't approve.

"So you just decided to end it, right then and there?" Ronan whispers disappointed and unfulfilled at what a lame story this would be. I can't blame her. It is an uneventful, uninteresting, no drama story. Basically, it's averagely boring.

"Yes, that is what she just said." My tone comes out a bit condescending and boy, does she notice with the glare she shoots at me. The thing about Ronan is that she likes to think that she is superior when she really isn't. Describing Ronan is too difficult because there aren't any positive words that sum her up, only negative words. Hogwarts is a battlefield and she has the nuclear bombs while we only have blankets to hide under.

"This isn't what I'm looking for. You have to give me something to work with at least."

"There might not be a story but there is what you call gossip. I'm one of the most wanted guys at Hogwarts and now I'm single. All you need to do is spice it up." The eldest Potter leans closer to her. He is street smart. Using who he is and his name got him places and right now he is doing just that.

"I see. I'm still not happy about it but," Charlotte pauses ominously for a second, letting us wait for the last part of her sentence, "it will do, for now."

When she gets up, her quill and notepad vanish from sight. Giving us one last look-over, Ronan, the devilish journalist, puts us out of our misery by exiting the room.

* * *

James leaves first, giving us a thousand-watt grin. After that, Gabby gets up to leave, waving an awkward good-bye, leaving only two in the room. Albus and me. _Alone._ Well, this isn't going to be good.

I slowly get up out of my seat, feeling Albus's eyes slice through my back. Walking up to the table I remember leaving my bag on, I see that it isn't there. Frowning, I start to search for it.

I had been looking under the table when a voice behind startles me. "Looking for this?"

Closing my eyes, I bring myself up off the floor to turn and see him. He has a mischievous smirk drawn on his face, one that I've seen James wear a lot. On Albus however, it looks colder and less real. Dangling on his pinky is my worn-out, tan-colored bag. "May I have it back?" I ask, letting annoyance seep into the question.

"Maybe, if you say please."

"May I have it back _please_?"

"No."

"Why not?" I demand. I can feel myself growing impatient by the second.

"Why? Do you need it?" Puzzlement is etched on his face. It is an imitation and he knows it. This is just a rouse and a pointless one at that.

He expects an answer. However, he doesn't get one. "Here," Albus throws the bag carelessly not even aiming it at me. It follows the path of a low arch then lands on the space right beside my foot.

In one swift movement, it is in my hand and looped onto my shoulder. My eyes are on the door that separates freedom from prison. It takes me a couple seconds to reach it; however, I am matched with disappointment when it won't open.

The worst part is that my wand isn't in my bag. I couldn't have dropped it. No one would have been that clumsy and, let me tell you, I am not clumsy.

"Have you lost something?" he inquires with mock-worry. That arse has gone as low as stealing my wand. What a thief! It is obvious that he desires something. It is best to just ask him what he wants and get it over with so I can get out of here.

I round to face him, dropping my bag on the floor and angrily kicking it away. I raise both arms over my head in defeat. "What do you want?" My tone is cold. No more being nice, not that I ever was, but whatever.

He came here for a reason. He has something planned out. Something no one knows about. Something I don't what to know about, but at this moment I have no choice because Slytherins get dirty if they don't get what they want. Very dirty. No joking around with them.

"I want a lot of things, love. Exactly which one are you talking about?" There is a challenge in his eyes, one that I will not accept under any costs.

"Cut the crap. You know precisely which one I am talking about." I cross my arms over my chest defiantly. No one plays with me and sure as hell no one calls me 'love'. Rebellious teenage girl with mood swings, here I come.

"I have a proposition." Way to be specific, Potter. A proposition can mean anything.

"I'm listening." The two words come out a bit more cautious than I want them to. They show that I actually care about what he says and what he thinks which I do not.

"James and Gabby broke up." _No shit, Sherlock_ , I think before I can stop myself. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out. He is listing the obvious, waiting for the right moment to let his real statement out.

"And?" I ask, wanting him to continue.

"That means Ms. Ronan will be looking for more drama and gossip and all that other ugly stuff in between. Without a golden couple, shit is going to break out. Not good shit." His eyes bug out a tad as the last sentence comes out of his mouth. A flash of uneasiness sweeps across his face soon disguised with seriousness.

"Why should I care?"

"You owe your sister. James and Gabby faked being a couple for half a year to keep Ronan from digging into people's lives. The Weasleys, Potters, Scamanders, Woods, and all the other groups were protected. They were given more of a chance to live without reserve. That wasn't the main reason though. It was to shield you and don't act like you don't know it because you do."

His eyes sear into mine, emerald meets ash. This is barely the beginning. He is giving me a reason to be persuaded into saying yes to his proposition even though I don't know it yet. This is a guilt-trip and I am falling hard into it.

Damn, he's manipulative.

"What do you want?" I repeat through gritted teeth.

"I think you already know."

"I have no clue about what you're talking about."

"Hogwarts new golden couple: you and me." he says it so simply like he didn't just drop a bomb into the room.

"What is your benefit?" Curiosity gnaws at me as did suspicion.

"Nothing much. Free snogging with no strings attached." He claims suggestively, even adds a shrug for good measure. That doesn't fool me though.

"I'm not an idiot. You can get that by snapping your fingers. Tell me your real motive."

"And why should I tell you?" he snarls getting defensive.

In a few quick strides I am face-to-face with him. "Because if you don't there is no way I'm agreeing to this." I growl. I should have been placed in Slytherin with my threatening abilities. "And honestly, I don't think you would ask anyone else of this."

His anger is gone. The mixture of bitterness and annoyance disappear, leaving only reasonability. Leaning back he gives me an amused, smug smile. "Smart girl."

I ignore the taunting comment. "Spit it out."

"Same reason as yours. Guilt is a bitch. And I don't like owing people, especially my brother."

"Okay then." Taking a step back, I cool down. Weighing my options, my lips turn down into a frown. Yes or no? Yes or no? Maybe yes, but then maybe no.

"Okay as in you are agreeing?" His voice seeps eagerness. Big mistake.

"Okay as in you have a good reason. The answer itself is no." It is one of those things you don't have to think about. The answer just comes out and when it does you have no control over it. And that 'no' keeps repeating inside my head. I don't know whether it is a good answer or not, or if I have just made a mistake or not.

"That's fine. I had a feeling that you would say no."

"Then why ask?" I mean if it was me in his place I would not have said anything in the first place. Rejection is too risky in my opinion.

"I know you will change your mind, that's why." He says smirking and swaggering out of the room leaving me to deliberate on what he could possibly mean.

* * *

 **A/N: Hello fellow readers! This story is posted on hpff as well under the penname navyfail. I have a third of this story already written so I'll slowly start to post up the chapters. Did you guys like Al? How about James? Thoughts on Ronan? I would love to hear your opinions and thoughts in a review. :)**


	2. Albus: The Decision

"How did it go?" The question comes from a certain blonde-haired male who is currently lounging on a couch. His feet are resting on a table casually and in his lap is a textbook with childish and inappropriate doodles in it. Half of the inappropriate doodles are my doing but that's what happens when you get stuck in a boring class called History of Magic. After all these years we are still stuck with Binns, a ghost who taught it our parent's time. I think it's high time that he retired or you know stayed dead.

Taking the seat next to him, I sigh.

"Didn't go as planned?"This time the blonde's voice is filled with surprise and laced with disbelief. Belonging to Slytherin house, it is a slip up to let someone know what you are thinking and right now you can clearly read that he's shocked that someone has rejected me, Albus Potter, of all people. I don't point out his mistake this time. No one's perfect, including the snakes residing in the Hogwarts dungeons.

"No, it went exactly as planned." The switch for the Potter smirk flips on. Back in the Slytherin Common Room, fire blazing a green hue, and surrounded by familiar leather couches is relieving. The tension in that abandoned classroom was sky high, almost too much to handle. Aaliyah and I may have been there for moral support, but I think we both felt the anxiety radiating off of James and Gabby. Being away from there makes me feel like myself again.

"So, she said yes?"

"Nope," I say, closing my eyes briefly. I hear his feet shuffle slightly. I slowly open an eye to see Scorpius's expression, but there isn't a single trace of emotion. It seems that his Slytherin side has finally kicked in.

He wants me to explain what I mean. That much is obvious. Yet, it doesn't feel right to tell him in plain sight. A handful of groups are scattered around the vast space. They may be all too self-centred to care about other people's lives, but if they heard anything that may give them power over anyone else, they'll be ready to bite. _Hard._

"Not here," I whisper, motioning to the stairs that lead to the boys' dormitories.

When we reach the sixth year's dorm, I push open the door and peer in. No one is here. Typical. They are probably out and about behind closed doors and won't turn up until morning.

I enter with Scorpius following, careful not to step on anything horrid like underwear, pets, and rotten food. I plop on to my bed and he sits on his, which is directly across from mine.

"She said no," I restate, shrugging lazily.

"I already got that, Potter. Get to the point," he says very matter-of-fact. With his arms crossed over his chest, he looks at me like an interrogator and a harsh one at that.

"Fine, fine, I'll tell you. Really, the last name though?" I raise an eyebrow at him expectantly. He doesn't budge. I guess humour won't get me out of this situation. "Aaliyah has been trying to stay out of the gossip and drama that goes around Hogwarts for about a year now," I start tiredly. I have been over these same damn facts at least one hundred times in my mind. Repeating them, at this point, is tedious. "Why would she choose to draw attention to herself when she's spent years avoiding it like a disease? Aaliyah doesn't even know me. And, seeing as I'm Fred's cousin, she doesn't trust me. Add that all up and it's obvious that she would reject me."

Deliberating over the information I gave him, Scorpius shakes his head at me disappointedly. He then puts a hand over his face, trying to hide the goofy grin on sh. "You used the guilt trick, didn't you?" He questions, knowing the answer already. I give him a half smile in response and looking thrilled, he adds, "You, Albus Potter, are very cruel."

"Very cruel, indeed," I agree. This is definitely going to be fun.

* * *

The guilt trick. Invented by a mastermind and used by commoners like me.

It's a simple concept really. Plant the seed of shame; let the person mull over what they've done (or haven't done); and, before you know it, they'll be at your feet.

And that's exactly what I've used on Aaliyah Herseth.

The girl in question is kind of a mystery, one that I never acknowledged until a couple months into fifth year. She isn't brooding nor does she vanish into thin air. No, she lets herself out in the open like everyone else, yet she has this bubble around her. You can see her. You can smell her. You can even touch her, but you can't get the taste of her.

There is barrier, a well built one at that. For what I've gathered, she lets most people in but not fully. People have two sides: there evil side that shows their true self and their foggy side that only shows a blurry reflection of the person they are. Aaliyah is a blurry reflection. At times, that reflection gets clear only to get foggy again. You may think you know her, but you only know what she wants you to.

I, myself, don't know her. Before, I barely noticed her when she was in the same room as me. Now, it's hard to not observe her but observations can only get you so far.

I know the facts: She is a Ravenclaw. She is in her sixth year. Her older sister is Gabby and her younger brother is Daniel. And that is that.

Those facts don't tell you the important hard-hitting stuff like what her fears are, what does she admire in others, what her goals in life her. She can only answer those questions because no one else knows the honest answer. Not me, not her sister, not even her parents. Solely, singularly her. And hell is it frustrating.

I'm not sure why I find her fascinating. She seems like one of those people that keep you on edge. Those people who dare you to jump off. It isn't an obsession nor is it an addiction, simply a fascination.

A few questions that Scorpius bothered me about is "Why her? Why not someone else? Does it have to be her?"

The response is that there are other people but, out of all of them, she is more fitting. She get's the seriousness of the situation. Not to mention that she isn't one of those fan girls or flirts, the ones that want to latch on to your lips and stay there. She knows reality and, above all, she isn't clingy. Clingy isn't good. I freaking loathe clingy.

The rest of the girls... they don't have a reason, a drive to do this. Aaliyah... she does. Without willingness, nothing happens; without effort, even less happens. It doesn't work that way. When you want to accomplish something, you need a couple things: effort, desire, and belief. One doesn't function without the other. All of them have to be working at the same time and at the same pace. Otherwise, that goal is worthless and dead.

What Scorpius doesn't know is that one of the reasons for choosing her is that I feel deemed responsible for what materialised in the past year to her. You may call it a hero complex or whatever, but that isn't it. It's a sense of responsibility, the kind that you feel when disaster strikes, and you know you could have done something; you could have prevented some of that, but you didn't. It sucks to feel guilty for the things you did, but the things you failed to do? Yeah, those'll make you feel a hell of a lot worse.

And that is what steered me to her: the burden of liability, the augmenting fascination, and the stress of owing my brother.

* * *

"You're staring," Scorpius whispers, nudging me in the ribs. We are currently in the back of Transfiguration class,'taking notes' while Professor Blackwood lectures us on the different types of human transfiguration.

"I'm not staring, Scorpius. I'm examining." Brushing him off, I carry on, remaining in concentration. Her dark, brown hair is up in a ponytail, and her attention is on the teacher. She scratches on her parchment with her quill, holding on to every word that comes out of Blackwood's mouth. I don't understand why she forces herself to take notes when she gets Outstandings easily in this class. Ravenclaws put way too much effort into things.

"Examining? Is that what you call it?" He raises an eyebrow at me. I ignore him and soon he joins me by studying her too.

"She's pretty," he mentions after a few minutes. I give him a side-glance of pure discontent.

"That is all you notice?"

"Well that and she is paying attention in class, unlike you," he states knowingly.

"Don't act like you are listening to Blackwell. You're staring at Rose. _Again_ ," I point out, causing him to blush. I roll my eyes. This happens every other day. One day he'll be staring at her in the Great Hall. And the next day he'll be ogling her arse in between classes.

"No, I'm not," he denies, his gaze still lingering on a certain redhead.

"You are lucky that I'm alright with your liking of my cousin." Aaliyah is now biting on her quill, probably deliberating if she missed a part of the professor's speech.

"Like I need your approval," he carelessly says still looking at Rose. "And I don't like her," he adds as an afterthought. All I can think of is how deep in denial he is.

"You are right, Scorpius. You just acquired a large crush on her." Sarcasm drips off of my words, causing him to glare. "And you do need my approval since I'm her cousin," I affirm with an intent look. "Oh, and I'm older than you." Lengthening my reasoning, I give him a smirk.

"By two months," Scorpius argues, but I am too engrossed in watching Aaliyah to think of a reply. She is frowning at her notes. I wonder why. All of a sudden the person sitting next to her, I'm guessing it is one of her friends, taps her on the shoulder. The friend points at Scorpius and I. I quickly glance down at my parchment before she turns around. Stupid damn friend.

"She is looking in this direction," Scorpius announces. I shake my head at him, signalling him not to do anything. Grabbing my unused quill, I scribble a couple incoherent words to act like I am writing down what Blackwood's saying. A couple of moments later Scorpius mumbles, "Okay, she isn't looking anymore."

Dropping what I have, I sneak a look at her. She reminds me of a box that has a lock on it, but no one has the key, not even her. I have so many theories about her that I don't know which ones are right and which ones are wrong. Maybe none of them are right? Sometimes when you got bored of life. you start seeing the details that others don't catch. I'm starting to think that I have no life. That or I need to focus on something else. Is this what happens when you haven't had a hot girlfriend in a long time?

"Are you sure you aren't infatuated with her?" the person I call my best friend asks. Currently there is a drawing, in my opinion it is a horrid drawing, in front of him. He is still working on the hair of the person that I'm guessing is Rose. And he says I'm infatuated.

"No, it is called research," I deny.

"If you say so," he says still not convinced.

* * *

The best part of the day is always the night. No one can say or convince me otherwise. Do you know why the night is the best part? Because I get to sleep. I am allowed to forget about everything that happened in the morning, afternoon, and evening. All of it, I get to forget all of it. The softness that is my bed awaits me. Fall back and done. Sleep comes and no disturbances. That is unless an agitating best friend wakes you up in the middle of the night.

Here we go:

"Al, Al!" Hands shake me awake. Unconsciously, I roll over. My sheets tangle through my legs. "Al!" the voice says another time.

"What?" I groan, my words barely coming out clearly. I hear the squeak of my mattress telling me that he is sitting at the end of it.

"I like her." It is a full-on statement, no doubt or question. He says it with a stable sureness. Pushing the pillow off of my face, I sit up to look at him. His grey eyes look straight ahead. It looks like he is missing something. It seems like admitting that he likes Rose is taking something away from him. That is when I know this is serious. Crap.

"Okay." My tone is hesitant as I scoot over to sit next to him. "Is liking Rose a bad thing?"

"Yes. No… I don't know." Scorpius's hands tug at his hair while his face grows paler. "Gah…this is so frustrating."

I reach over and give him a pat on the back, not knowing what else to do. I'm not the comforting type. Having female cousins should make me more sensitive when it comes to these situations, but it doesn't. Instead, it makes me feel more awkward when it comes to people telling me about their feelings. Why do people always insist on dumping their emotional shite on other people?

"It's going to be fine," I assure softly. I do feel for Scorpius. Liking Rose isn't an easy thing. I may love her and all; but she has a temper, can be very sassy, and a little outright... and I am making things worse.

"No, it isn't going to be fine. I can't like her, Albus. I can't," his voice rises with every word. He looks devastated and relieved at the same time. He is devastated of liking a Weasley but relieved to finally admit it. This is the first time that I actually thought about him having something more than a crush. I mean… damn this is bad, really bad. I can't tell him that though.

"It's okay to like someone you aren't supposed to. That's the fun of it. Maybe this is only a simple crush that will fade away." The words take over from there. My speech writes itself and I find myself not having no control of it. "This can be a short term thing, or even a long term thing. Hell… we are in Hogwarts, shite is supposed to happen. And it may happen for a reason and it may not. You never know whom you are going to like, but you can know what you are going to do about it. So what are you going to do about it, Scorp?"

He lets out a long sigh. Turning to look at me, he grins, "Never thought you had that in you, Potter."

"Are we back to last names again, Malfoy?" I tease, letting myself fall back onto my sheets. Now for some blissful sleep…

"Night, Potter." Scorpius never gets an answer though since I am already half-asleep.

* * *

"Where's Malfoy?" The question comes from Blaine Zabini, a close friend of mine. What he doesn't realise is that my gaze is set on a specific Ravenclaw girl that is sitting a couple feet away. We are in the library, sitting in one of the secluded corners that many people don't know about. The books on the shelves near us are layered in dust, making them look decayed. The chair I am currently sitting on is a little rickety but still firm. And Blaine is still repeating the same freaking question with his brown-gold eyes.

"He isn't feeling well." Not a good answer, but it will keep him distracted long enough. Her face doesn't hold any visible traces of thoughtfulness or anger, only thoughtfulness toward the book she is reading. Weird.

"Who are you staring at?" Blaine inquires, leafing through the torn pages of his Charms textbook.

"No one," I lie. Her eyes trail down the page in a quick pace, while her fingers drum softly on the wooden table. I wonder what she is thinking about. Has the guilt gotten to her yet? Wow, I am starting to sound like a freaking stalker.

"Is Malfoy in our dorm then?" he asks carelessly.

"Yes," I answer, tearing my eyes away from the Ravenclaw. Scorpius has been sorting through his problems these past couple of days. Apparently, he isn't ready to face Rose. Instead, he is using the strategy of locking himself in our dorm. Very original, I know.

Truth be told, I feel bad for the guy. Not only did he think he is sorta in love, but he also fell in love with Rose, the wrong person. I am not saying that my cousin is a bad person because she isn't. The issue is that she can be very rough and stubborn at times. So telling her anything will be a great conquest that I don't want to be a part of. And from what I can tell, neither does Scorpius.

"What do you think of Aaliyah Herseth?" The query has me stumped. Is Blaine reading my mind or something, or did he think I'm acting suspicious?

"Why?"

"No reason. I heard that your cousin still has a thing for her," he states with a shrug, acting like he couldn't care less.

"Ehh..Fred isn't usually that serious about a girl." She puts her book down and gets up to search for something. Another book perhaps?

"Makes sense." And with that he ends the conversation, leaving me to think of what is going on with Fred and if Aaliyah is actually going to give in.

* * *

The next day, I am strolling down the Charms corridor when I hear her. The soft padding of her footsteps echo along the walls.

"Potter!" I keep walking like I haven't heard her. I can't keep the smile off my face.

"Potter!" The sound of her running feet makes me stop for a second and then I keep walking. The smile stretches further. Victory seems to be surging through me before I can stop it.

"Albus!" This time I stop completely and take the time to force the smile away. Turning around, I see that she is now only four-five feet away from me. Well, this is going to be much easier than I thought.

Aaliyah's glaring at me and trying hard to slow her breathing at the same time. A few strands of her hair have come loose from the messy bun on the back of her head. The irises of her eyes bob up and down in both fury and nervousness. I take a couple steps closer to her without meaning to. It's her eyes; they are this different grey. The first time I met her it looked like graphite; but now, there is something else entirely in them.

"Are you deaf or something? I've been calling you for some time!" she yells. She wants to be angry, she wishes her voice to come out cross but it doesn't. All I hear is frustration in her words. Her body screams panic from the twitching of her fingers to the faint tapping of her feet.

And I hate it. I hate it because it makes me want to comfort her and yearn to put my arms around her. Why couldn't she have been an average person? Why does she have to be Gabby's sister and why did Fred ever have to freaking mess with her?

"Technically, there are three Potters in Hogwarts. How was I supposed to know you were yelling for me?" I finally respond after assembling myself, no emotion on my face except for confidence.

"Shut up." The two words don't come out that strong. It feels like the whole world is pressing down on her shoulders. That's how worn out she looks.

"Do you have something to say to me or am I standing here to listen to you insult me?"

She averts her attention to her shoes. Is a shoe more interesting than me? Eh, probably not. " I ch..changed my mind." Her eyes are still on the damn shoes.

"About?" She doesn't speak. "I can't read minds you know. What did you change your mind about?" I say slowly to annoy her. Every Ravenclaw gets infuriated when someone suggests that they are dumb. Trust me, I've done it more times than I can count and every time it is worth the reaction they give me.

She snaps her attention back to me. I expect her to scowl. She surprises me by extending a plain look. It bothers me that I've never ever seen her genuinely mad. How the fuck does someone do that?

When her brother stole her underwear and hung it in the Great Hall, instead of raging like a maniac she laughed, wholeheartedly laughed. And then everyone at lunch started laughing with her, including the professors. Gabby told me there was this time that one of their cousins told James that Aaliyah had a crush on him. Later, Aaliyah found out and merely said, "I only like James as a friend and if you don't believe that, that is your problem, not mine."

A part of everyone wants to be pissed off or enraged with fury, because then they could blame all their problems on somebody else, excluding her that is. It's like her life goal is to avoid chaos or be Buddha (Aunt Hermione said he was a Muggle who believed in meditation and peace, I think) or something. Don't ask me how I know this considering I didn't and still don't know the answer to that question. It is a prediction, my prediction. Testing if it is right is a whole other matter.

Sighing, Aaliyah mutters something that is too soft to hear, but I catch every word. I want to hear it out loud, though, since a victory isn't meaningful when the other individual doesn't surrender fully.

"What was that?" I inquire innocently.

"I. Changed. My. Mind. About. The. Proposition." Each and every word comes out like a sentence, separated and powerful. Yet, her expression seems pained to say them.

"So is it a yes then?" Her eyes flutter shut for a couple of moments. Letting out a long breath, she nods. I check my watch so briefly that she doesn't notice.

"But," oh no, not a 'but.' Anything but a 'but,' " I have some conditions." I was afraid she was going to do this. All girls are the same. They think that what they call "ground rules" keep everything in check when, in reality, it doesn't. It gives the other party a better reason to cross the line.

I motion for her to continue, " First, no snogging." I snort in disbelief, but she ignores me and continues. "Second, under no circumstances will there be any shagging." Weird, she actually thinks it might get that serious. Has she already been thinking of me naked? "Third, when this is done, nothing is left as in no feelings."

She waits for me to say something, more specifically to agree with her, which isn't going to happen. "First off, we can demolish the 'no snogging' rule."

"Why?" she demands, clearly alarmed.

"Herseth, get real. No one is going to believe we are real if there isn't any snogging. I mean you don't see Hogwarts couples going around holding hands for all their life." This time she scowls, but I know she sees eye to eye with my views. "We can skip the second one," I say off-handedly before she interrupts.

"What? What do you mean skip it?" Her horror and panic levels astound me. Either she is uncomfortable with physical contact or she doesn't trust me at all. I'm going with the latter.

"Skip as in we don't need to discuss it. It is way out of proportion given the situation at hand. Though if you want to get rid of that condition, I'm one hundred percent okay with that too." Maybe I'm a bit too suggestive because she gives me a look that can kill. _Literally._

"How about the third one?" she interrogates.

"I agree with that one. No serious feelings," I say, pressing my lips together to show how important that rule is.

She bites her lip slightly, probably wondering if she could get out of this situation or not. However, it is too late. She knows that just as much as I do. "I can't guarantee that you won't fall for me though. You know with my dashing looks, and amazing personality," I tease, making the situation lighter considering the tension. I abhor tension, try to dodge it like a rash.

In return, she raises an eyebrow, which certainly says, 'you wish.'

"What now?" she asks casually. Leaning back against the wall, she puts on a half smile.

"Nothing really," I merely convey, my mind wandering to where a certain someone is at the moment.

"Do you think Ronan will believe us?" Her finger plays with a lock of her hair absent-mindedly while her voice strains to be positive.

"Maybe, it all depends on how good of an actress you are." I grin at her challengingly. She smiles in return, one that reaches her eyes. The inner circles around her irises shine a combination of orange and green. It is like staring into a hurricane; you don't know what to expect.

"When do we start this thing?" She emphasises 'thing' without meaning to. I glance down at my watch again. The hour hand is between the numbers six and seven while the minute hand is resting right on top to the six. It's time.

"Tomorrow."

"T..Tomorrow?" she stutters. "You're joking right?"

"This has been going on for far too long, Aaliyah." I gently take a few steps closer to her and the confusion radiating off of her hits me hard. _Please go along with it_ , I pray.

"Huh?" I want to scream out a thanks to her for not saying anything else.

"We need to make it official." Only a couple inches are left among us. Her eyes grow bigger and bigger, unsettled by the closeness. My hands reach out and cup her cheeks. Our foreheads meet. "I know you are scared, but it is going to be alright." Aaliyah looks into my eyes and nods, trusting me for no reason at all and not knowing exactly what she is saying yes to.

"Tomorrow," I say again and she repeats it back. We stay like that for what feels like a millennium. When I put some space between us, she relaxes. It doesn't last for long, though.

"What the hell was that?" she yells, uptight and tense.

"Why don't you take a guess?" My back makes contact with the wall behind me. I don't realise what is happening until I see her right in front of my face.

She pokes me in the chest as she bites out, "You. Could. Have. At. Least. Warned. Me."

Her breath hammers against my face. The freckles that are splattered across her nose are more visible now and her jaw juts out a bit but not in anger. Even after the scene I caused, she isn't mad… not one bit, only bothered and shaken.

"Ronan was there, wasn't she?" she breathes. I nod in indication of a yes. "You knew she would have been around that corner at this time, didn't you?" she questions, already knowing the answer. I nod again. Exhaling heavily, Aaliyah backs up slightly and I pull myself off the wall.

She turns her back to me only to round on me again and tries to punch me in the face, except for the part where it actually comes in contact with me. I have her wrist in my grip, preventing her from making any other move. Oh, how I love having lightning fast reflexes.

"Let go of me," she seethes. I reluctantly do so.

"How did you know?" she asks. The question is very open ended and I want to let myself tell her a half-truth, but I don't. I can't because she deserves to know.

"The Marauders Map and I've been watching her for a couple days. She is always here at this time. Not sure why but she is." Aaliyah doesn't reply, solely accepts what I just told her with no argument.

Silence looms onto us. Not an awkward one but one that lets us rewind what occurred recently and think it over. We stand there; me observing her and her searching the ceiling for answers. We are going to make a weird couple, that's for sure. Where we balance in looks, we clash in personalities.

After some time, I walk up to her and promptly peck her on the cheek. I then walk past her and yell over my shoulder, "Be ready for tomorrow!"

"Tomorrow?" I hear her question when I already have a couple feet of distance from her. Tomorrow is going to be a roller coaster. One that neither of us is ready for. Boy, is this going to be fun.

* * *

 **beta'd by LilyAndScorpius4eva at hpff forums**

 **Disclaimer: All belongs to JK Rowling. Only the Plot and OCs are mine.**

 **A/N: So a quick enough update perhaps? Anyway...what? Is Aaliyah actually agreeing? Did the guilt finally get to her? :P**

 **So if you guys didn't catch on already, this chapter is from the hot and mysterious Albus's point of view. What did you guys think of it? What do you think of Scorpius?**

 **I would love if you left your thoughts and opinions in that little gray box down there. :D**


	3. Aaliyah: The Reaction

Sleep doesn't find me behind my closed eyes; it wavers on the top of my consciousness but doesn't come in, as if it is an unwelcome visitor. Instead, I am abandoned with only my thoughts to keep me company.

Over the years, I have realised that there are two types of nights: one when your head touches the pillow, you immediately fall asleep; and another when your brain can't seem to shut off. Tonight, it seems, is the second type.

But it isn't no sleep the that bothers me the most; no, that spot is already taken by something else, by someone else. The real problem is that Albus's last words keep echoing in my mind. I can hear them repeating over and over again, like a broken tape recorder, like it's there to mock me till I go insane. That's how bad it is.

However, just because something is said constantly, doesn't mean it's easier to make up your mind about it. Because even though I've thought over the situation I've landed myself in again and again, I'm still not sure if I am one hundred percent terrified or plain unconcerned.

How is he so sure of himself, I find myself asking to no one in particular. He didn't even have to do anything for me to fall into his trap. I did it on my own by letting the guilt get to me just like he said it would.

And that guilt… it rooted from one person: Gabby.

Why is it that my sister thinks it necessary to look out for me? I don't ask for it, do I? She had no obligation to distract Ronan by being half of the golden couple. She signed on for that herself, right? Leaving Ronan to write shite about me wouldn't have been that bad. All it would have cost me is some self-esteem, and an ounce or two of dignity, I'm sure. When I confronted Gabby about it ten months ago, all she said was 'that's what sisters do.' And she was right... sisters did do these thing for each other, but I can't help but think she did so much that I could never find a way to repay her.

These thoughts, however, don't distract me from the words though, the words repeating in my mind: " _Be ready for tomorrow!_ "

'This is actually happening,' I keep telling myself, trying to make myself believe in it no matter how much I detest it. I am getting into a (fake) relationship with someone I barely talked to over the years. Either my decision making skills have gone straight down the toilet or I'm going loony in the head.

After an hour of contemplating, I have come down to this: I'm not scared of the relationship stuff and all. That part isn't too bad. The thing that is bugging me is the fact that change is going to happen tomorrow. People will get curious, questions will arise, gossip will be at its peak, and judgments will be made. And I have no control over it whatsoever. _Absolutely no control._

And this bothers me to no end. I'll be truthful, there are times where I am a thorough control freak, don't get me wrong, but there are also times when I don't care and/or get too lazy to handle the situation. Right now, I am none of them; not a control freak nor am I a 'don't care' freak, just trying to grasp the corrupt truth.

For the next few hours, I lay on my mattress and stare at my alarm clock since I have nothing better to do. But around two, I get bored and sweaty. Figuring that this isn't going to get me anywhere, I throw my sheets off to the side and climb out of bed. My feet touch the cold floor and I feel soothed by the contact. For some reason, I have taken a liking to cold floors. There is something comforting about the cool, smooth surface. It doesn't feel creepy; it feels right. And sometimes you need something to feel right to balance out all the things that go wrong.

Quietly, I trudge my way to the grand window in our dorm. I sit on the edge and look out to see the stars. Tonight there are only a few of them out. Those few give me hope though, and that is all that matters.

* * *

The next morning starts out… pretty normal. There is no me freaking out or anyone looking at me suspiciously. Just normal. Well as normal as it can be…

"Ellie, have you seen my hairbrush?"

"No, I haven't but-"

"GEMMA, YOU SKANK!"

"What are you talking about?" My eyelids are still stuck together from my tangled lashes, but I can bet ten galleons that question is from Gemma.

"YOU! YOU STOLE HIM AWAY FROM ME!" This is going to be interesting. I order my eyes to open and gingerly sit up in bed. The back of my t-shirt sticks to my body and I can feel the sweat on the back of my neck. Little tiny drops run down my skin and I finally give in and rub it off. Time for my morning shower, I guess.

Ellie and Annie stand near the bathroom door and watch Gemma and what looks like Naomi argue, rather loudly might I add. Their shrill voices bounce off the walls and like Ellie and Annie, I sit on my comfy bed and watch the whole thing unfold.

"I DIDN'T STEAL ANYONE!" cries a shocked Gemma. Her perfectly straight, blonde hair is coming out of her ponytail.

"DON'T THINK THAT I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE BEEN UP TO!" Naomi's usually light brown eyes have this mad look to them, not one you have when you are mad but when you are raging and ready-to-kill mad.

"Oh, and what have I been up to?" Gemma folds her arms over her chest. You can tell by her posture that she is already fed up with Naomi's outburst.

"YOU WENT AFTER MY LUKE!" Naomi yells, hands waving in the air as if it is bizarre that Gemma doesn't know that.

"YOUR LUKE? SINCE WHEN WAS HE YOURS?"

"HE HAS ALWAYS BEEN MINE UNTIL YOU SANK YOUR DIRTY CLAWS INTO HIM!"

They are now face-to-face, almost nose-to-nose. Naomi looks so small next to Gemma, almost comical. Gemma is tall at 5'9" and with her lean and willowy figure, guys took an interest to her. Naomi is the exact opposite with her dark hair and curvy, short structure. She still gets a fair amount of attention with her dramatics and outgoing nature, though.

I've never been close to either of them, but deep down I preferred Naomi over Gemma. This is probably because Gemma may seem kind and sweet, but she still has this untrustworthy vibe. I don't like it. Not that I would ever tell her that though.

And sadly, I think we all (meaning everyone in our dorm) know that she is a classic boyfriend stealer; but due to her being a Ravenclaw, she manages to not get caught in the act. Don't ask me how she does it because honestly I have no clue and neither does anyone of the other sixth year Claws or else we would have exposed her.

Anyway, back to the very friendly argument. When I say 'friendly,' I mean intense bitch fight that is soon going to involve wands.

"I DIDN'T STEAL HIM AWAY. HE LOVES ME!"

I snort. Wrong move Gemma. In five, four, three, two…

Right at that moment Naomi attacks, throwing her full body at Gemma. Gemma being the weak, flailing girl that she is falls from the impact. Naomi then scratches at her opponent's face. Gemma somehow bends her knees and presses her feet against Naomi's stomach, lifts her and pushes her to the side.

 _Ouch._

That has got to hurt.

Ellie and Annie simultaneously roll their eyes. Coming to my senses, I climb out of bed and grab my wand. "Flippendo!" They both flip back, away from each other from the force of the spell. Gemma ends up hitting her head on her nightstand while Naomi bangs into a wall. While they both recover, I shuffle over to my other dorm mates.

"What exactly happened here?" I whisper. Ellie smirks at me as if she knows something we don't and Annie shrugs.

Annie and Ellie are my best friends next to James. I met Annie after we both got sorted into Ravenclaw. She had been quiet; however, she hadn't looked afraid at the time. Immediately, I took a liking toward her and before you knew it, we were friends. We were comfortable around each other and shared the same opinion a lot of the times. Not to mention that she is secretly a Chudley Cannons fan even though she tends to not follow the leagues.

Ellie is a different story entirely. I hadn't officially met her until she dumped a glass of pumpkin juice on me in the middle of first year. At first I had been annoyed, but when Annie took out the mirror she hid in her bag to show me how I looked, I laughed. Turns out it had been a dare. From then on, Ellie grew on me. And right now I am pretty sure I can't get rid of her even if I tried.

When it comes to looks, though, Ellie is the one who got the whole deal. She has dirty blonde hair that falls into layers. On top of that she has these mint eyes that has this sparkle to them. She is what you call the 'cute and sassy chick.' Well, that's what I hear guys call her. In my opinion, she is the best friend who won't hesitate to tell you when to get your head out of the gutter.

Ellie's voice is the one that brings me out of my thoughts. "You see Naomi has been hooking up with this Gryffindor named Luke. And I have a feeling Gemma knew that they were a 'thing'," she explains, using air quotations around the last word. "You know how Gemma is. Not the loyal type and likes playing with boy toys that aren't hers. So she ended up charming Luke under Naomi's nose. And now, they have started a bitch fight in our dorm."

"That does explain Naomi's late night wanderings. I always hear the door creak," Annie adds.

I nod, agreeing. I had heard the creaks of the door too. I had dismissed them as Gemma's doing. I hadn't known it was Naomi sneaking out. Gosh, I don't even want to think about the things she has been doing with the Luke bloke.

"Hopefully, they will both get over the guy or one of them wins him over," I say sighing. If this Luke scandal doesn't blow over soon, my sleep is going to start deteriorating and war will break loose within our dorms.

I remember the time in third year when Ellie and Gemma had this tussle over who this Slytherin named Blaine had a crush on. It lasted for two weeks. In the end, we found out that he had a crush on neither of them. Instead, he had a crush on Annie. That was two weeks of torturous screaming and throwing things around the dorm for nothing. It was cute though, since now every time we bring it up Annie blushes in embarrassment.

"Yeah, we don't want what happened in third year," Ellie muses, reading my thoughts aloud.

Annie starts to look uncomfortable at the comment and twirls her dark, straight hair with her finger. Her violet eyes gaze into mine as if giving me a signal to switch the topic.

"I'm just hoping that we won't have to see much of this Luke you're talking about. If those two are fighting over him, I doubt he'll be someone worthwhile." Maneuvering past them, I enter the bathroom and shut the door behind me, leaving only my mind and I alone.

* * *

"Aaliyah, you coming?" Annie shouts from the end of the staircase.

"Yeah, just give me a second." My tattered schoolbag is currently lying on my bed while I search for my Ancient Runes textbook. Now where is the damn thing? I had already looked through my trunk, my nightstand, even the wardrobe I shared with Ellie. Giving up, I sit on the edge of my mattress.

First, there is a fight between Gemma and Naomi. Then my textbook goes missing and on top of that Albus is probably in the Great Hall thinking, 'which way do I tell the whole school that Aaliyah and I are dating while equally making it the most miserable way possible for her?'

What if he ambushes me on my way to the Great Hall? Then what will I tell Ellie and Annie? No, he wouldn't do that. He can't be that evil. Well, I hope he isn't.

Sighing, I press my shoes to the floor as hard as I can, hoping that the pressure will make those thoughts go away. Strangely, my left shoe ends up hitting a hard surface against the back of it. Dropping to the ground on my knees, I peer under. Underneath, I see the faint outline of what looks like a book, specifically the textbook I have been looking for the past fifteen minutes.

Reaching out, I grab a hold of it and bring it out. Quickly, I stuff it in my bag and make my way out of the room.

* * *

A couple minutes later, we enter the Great Hall. The Great Hall is this bright, huge dining hall that all the students eat their meals at. And at the front of the room is where the staff sits, looking over all of us making sure that we don't cause any trouble.

Funny thing is that most people don't sit with their own house members anymore. A lot of people just mix. On occasion, the professors do something about it to set an example, but usually no one gets caught. Gryffindors are sometimes seen at the Ravenclaw table and Hufflepuffs are usually at the Gryffindor tables. Even some Slytherins are seen at the Gryffindor table. It is just the way things are done these days.

I glance at the Slytherin table and note that Albus isn't there yet. And surprisingly, Albus hasn't been coming up anywhere else either. Not in the hallways or at the entrance of the hall. Maybe he slept in? Things are going good… for now.

"Turns out it was underneath the bed," I finish telling Annie about my textbook, looking away from the Slytherin table.

"How did it get under there?" Ellie hints with a devious grin.

"Can you make it any more obvious that you put it there?" says Seth from behind me. Seth is another fellow Ravenclaw sixth year and friend and he happens to be on the Quidditch team with Ellie. I turn around to smile at him. His eyes are a light shade of blue today. You see Seth's eyes tend change colour depending on the season or the shirt he is wearing. He isn't a metamorphmagus or anything, but telling his eye colour is hard. Sometimes it is a jade green or a very dark grey and other times an aqua blue.

"Shut up." Ellie only manages an annoyed look before all of us sit down and start piling our plates with food.

"Did you finish the Transfiguration essay we have due today?" asks Seth while I munch on some toast.

"Yeah, why?"

"No reason." He shrugs and goes back to eating his breakfast. The conversation between us seems a little short and forced, making me wonder if something is wrong. Seth normally talks a lot when we aren't in class.

"Are you sure that is the only reason you asked?"

Before he can give me an answer, Ellie throws in, "Seth just wants you to give him some attention. I mean it's not like he has the guts to make a move on you. If he did, he would have been a Gryffindor."

Seth scowls at her while I quirk an eyebrow. Ellie has been making these comments ever since fourth year. She has this obsession with friends turned lovers. I don't know why she bothers Seth and me with it, though. If she liked the idea of it that much, her and Isaac can turn into lovers. On que, Isaac enters the Great Hall and takes a seat next to Ellie, who is sitting across from me.

"Watcha talkin' about?" he says stuffing his mouth with scrambled eggs. Isaac is the last one in our group. He is one of the two Ravenclaw Beaters along with Ellie and best friends with Seth.

"Ellie is teasing Aaliyah and Seth again." Annie doesn't look up as she butters her toast.

"What? Did you just call it teasing, Annie? I am speaking the truth, damn it." Ellie pouts and Isaac laughs. Annie throws some scrambled eggs at Ellie.

"Dear, it's teasing till one of them admit it." Annie smirks, which generally doesn't happen too foten.

"True, true." Isaac nods, causing me to roll my eyes. He looks like a professor that's praising his star student.

"It's not my fault that Ellie has a thing with love stories," I tease back at Ellie.

"I do not have a thing with love stories." Flipping her blonde hair over her shoulder, she grabs her goblet and drinks from it. She doesn't look me in the eyes because she knows that I am right. Who would have thought that a sassy beater would have a soft love-story-obsessed side?

"Sure you don't." Isaac doesn't even try to hide his sarcasm.

"Isaac Lewis, are you implying that I like love stories?" Ellie's tone is both pundit and playful.

"Love, I wasn't implying. I was stating." Note, how he calls her 'love' and she doesn't point it out. Also note how they are both being witty and flirtatious. This kind of stuff was cute in fourth year, a little annoying in fifth year and now in sixth year Annie, Seth, and I want to push them into a broom closet and lock them in.

All three of us simultaneously roll our eyes. See, we can even read each other's minds.

"I swear if they don't get over these 'friendly' chats and looks, I am going to grab each of their faces and make them press their mouths together," whispers Seth.

Annie hears and remarks, "Knowing Ellie, I am pretty sure they have already snogged by now. She isn't really the waiting type."

"Nor will she ever be. How long has this been going on again?" I watch the two in front of me cautiously. They are currently bumping elbows and brushing fingers against each other 'accidently.' This can't have been going on since fourth year. That is way too long.

"Since fifth year," mutters Seth, following my line of vision.

"Nope, it was since fourth year." Annie glimpses up at the lovebirds and makes a gagging motion.

Casting a look at our whispering figures, Ellie clears her throat. "Ahem… I still think they would be a cute couple." She winks at me suggestively and in return I fix her with a glare that clearly reads, ' never going to happen.'

Seth and I are only good friends, nothing more, and nothing less. I get that is what everybody says but if I did like him in a way that is more than friendship, I would have told him already. And honestly, I think he would have too. But no matter how many times you tell Ellie, she isn't going to change her notion.

"Who would be a cute couple?" The voice is still one that I have to get familiar with but the condescending tone sticks out like a sore thumb.

I guess the madness is about to begin. Great.

He falls onto the empty seat to my left. His shoulder briefly touches mine and I can feel my eyes widen from the simple movement. They all stare at him and I can literally feel the hundreds of others burn holes into the back of my head. The students quiet down slightly and the professors all wear quizzical faces.

This is going better than I thought.

Not.

From my right side, Seth breaks the silence with a simple "um."

"Aaliyah hasn't told you yet then. I'm Albus Potter, Aaliyah's new boyfriend." Without turning to see him, I can tell he has some kind of smile or smirk on his face. An arm snakes around my waist and all I can do is give a tiny smile, although it probably comes out more like a grimace.

They all whip their heads at me. Mixed expressions of shock, hurt, and surprise are drawn on their faces. I have to force myself to not cringe in regret. Way to drop the bomb, Potter.

"Boyfriend?" Seth's question comes out in a timid whisper.

"Since when?" snaps Ellie. Crossing her arms, she turns to Albus. After narrowing her eyes at him, she turns to me. "He is kidding, right?"

Albus finally takes his eyes off my friends and glances at me sideways. His expression reads 'your move.'

"Yeah….um…" I don't look her in the eye to make it easier for myself. "No, he… isn't. He's telling the truth."

Right after the last few words come out of my mouth, it feels like the world stops. For one moment, everything feels on hold. No one meets each other's eyes, and no one says anything.

This lasts for precisely eight minutes. That is until the Slytherin next to me decides to grace us with his voice.

"I don't think any of you have introduced yourself." Of course he says that. I mean it isn't like I was and still am secretly hoping that he would say something like, 'It wasn't Aaliyah's fault. I'm the one who told her to keep it a secret… you all should be grateful to have such a trustworthy friend.' No, instead, he outright states that none of my friends have introduced themselves.

Isaac gives a fake cough. "Isaac." His face is relaxed, doesn't show any suspicion or anything in general.

Annie goes next. "Annie." She seems so small with her voice sounding so tiny. A wave of guilt hits.

"Ellie." With her eyes still narrowed, she gives Al an 'even-though-you-are-dating-my-best-friend-don't-think-for-a-second-I-like-you' look.

Everyone's attention then goes to Seth. Looking into my eyes, he frowns. I meet him with a look of my own. His eyes resemble the ocean at this moment, blue with tinges of grassy green. Glancing past me, he nods at Albus. "Seth."

After that, the rest of the Hall starts getting its usual noisiness back while the six of us scrutinize our plates, not daring to look at each other.

The awkwardness is already bubbling toward the surface. It's like an air bubble that is getting bigger and bigger and surrounding all six of us. I swear if I try, I can just pop it.

Suddenly, I feel someone's breath hot on my neck. "Why is nobody talking?" Albus whispers, lips brushing my left ear.

"Oh I don't know.. maybe it is 'cause you're here," I hiss back.

He rolls his eyes and averts his attention elsewhere. Nodding at Seth he asks, "Is he your friend?"

"Who else would he be?" I mean, why else do people sit next to each other during mealtime if they aren't friends, other than being in a relationship, of course?

"I don't know. He could have been an ex I don't know about." He shrugs, snatching a roll off my plate.

"Exactly who do you know that sits with their ex?"

"No one. I just thought you would be the first," He replies, sounding oh-so smug.

I scowl and in return, Albus completely invades my personal space by placing a kiss on my check and mutters into my ear, "I recommend you stop it with the scowling unless you want your precious friends to think you for some reason hate me. I don't know about you, but the couples I know of normally don't hate each other." He squeezes my tiny waist for a good measure. Ugh.

The gesture doesn't go unnoticed by Seth though who shoots us a mildly disgusted look.

Well, that's odd.

And for some reason Albus smirks at him. It takes me a moment to realise what is going on and when I do, I smack Albus. He doesn't react in pain as I hoped. Instead, he raises an eyebrow at me.

"What?"

"Stop it," I demand.

"Stop what?" He questions innocently.

"Stop that thing you are doing." I know I am very specific, aren't I?

"What thing?" He pinches his eyebrows together in fake confusion.

"That thing guys do to mark their girl or whatever." Irritation trickles into my voice. I never get why guys do these stupid things in the first place. Why do they always think they have some claim on a specific girl and that no other guy can glance at them? A girl is her own person and can take care of herself. Yeah, the protectiveness is cute and all, but it can get very aggravating at times.

"Mark their girl?" He sounds thoroughly amused.

"You know what I am talking about." He shakes his head at me patronisingly.

"Well… if you wanted to know, it is actually called marking my property."

"Marking your what?!" My voice may have been a bit too loud because Isaac and Ellie stare at us both curiously. While we were having our conversation, I hadn't noticed that the group had started conversing amongst themselves again.

Albus just gives them a smile and pulls me closer to him. Great, not only is he already marking his property- currently yours truly – but he is also pulling me around like a rag doll. Humph, I feel used.

"I would lower your voice," He hisses threateningly, still beaming at my two friends.

Not turning to him, I hiss back, "I will lower my voice when you stop insisting on writing your freaking name all over my face."

"Technically I am not doing anything. You just think I am doing that."

"If you aren't doing anything, take your arm off my waist and let me have some personal space," I argue. I swear we are close enough for his leg to touch mine and that in my books is too near to be comfortable.

He swivels around to face me and I dare him to follow my orders. He sighs and lifts his hand – the one that is squeezing my abdomen - off somewhat to only put it back on and pinches me for good measure. Hard. "Not going to happen."

"See, you are doing the marking your property thing," I flaunt, aware that I had been correct.

"And what if I am?" he challenges.

"Then I want you to stop."

"Fine," he states, twitching his shoulder upwards. Taking his hand off my midriff after what feels like a millennium, he waves a goodbye to everyone.

"See you in class, Aaliyah." Standing up, he starts to leave but not before he pecks my cheek another time.

Relieved, I return to finishing my breakfast.

Wait.

Did he say that he would see me in class?

I have to stop myself from groaning in frustration.

I can already tell that this day is going to be miserable.

* * *

You know how I said that this day was going to be miserable?

Yeah, well it turns out I was right since currently I am staring dreadfully at the stairs that lead to the girls' dormitories.

And I have realised one simple fact: you shouldn't keep a secret from your best friend(s).

I mean you can keep a secret from your friend. That is totally understandable. But your _best_ friends… no, that is breaking an unsaid rule. You just don't do it because if you do, one of your best friends are going to give you the stink eye all day while the other doesn't act mad at all, which is worse. Instead, she looks hurt, plain out hurt.

If I had known that 'this' (yes, I'm going to address the relationship I'm in by 'this') was going to happen a few weeks ago, I would have dropped a hint that I was seeing someone or acted like I was fond of Albus in _that_ way. But sadly, I am not a seer and nor do I know one that could have told me this shite was going to happen.

Nope, instead I am now burning holes into a staircase that I am going to have to climb up at some point. It may take some time, but I will make my way up it, mark my words. I step onto the first one. I lift my leg to go up the second step but… I falter. I can't do it.

I hate when crap like this is thrown at you with no particular warning. My mom always said that the way you respond to unexpected events is what truly shows who you really are. That, in my opinion, is complete bullshit. I'm not ready for unexpected events (no, I am not talking about teenage pregnancy, I am talking about _fake_ dating Albus) at sixteen.

So now you must be thinking what is Aaliyah, the girl who can't handle unexpected events and climbing up a staircase, going to do?

For one, I am going to make it up to the sixth year girl's dormitory. And secondly, I am not going to lie to my best friends, if that's what you are thinking. Nope, I am going to tell the truth. I know, shocker isn't it? I'll probably withhold some information but pshh… who needs to know the details?

Collecting all the confidence I can muster, I eventually climb my way up. One by one, up the stairs until I reach the door with a six decorated on it. Reaching forward, I grab the knob and am about to twist it when I stop.

On the other side of the door are my friends. Annie and Ellie. Ellie and Annie.

And when it comes down to it, I think it would be the hardest to not tell the complete truth to Annie. Not only is she perceptive, but wise beyond her days. She gives good advice and always seems to know the right thing to say. Sometimes I get this feeling like she looks right through me, yet she never really judges me. That is probably why we ended up being such good friends. She doesn't push you nor does she force or judge you. Sometimes I wonder if she is human because not many people have those qualities.

Ellie, on the other hand, is different story. She is the opposite of Annie. Ellie is much louder and assertive, you know? Telling her things is harder since you never know how she is going to react. But… Ellie is someone you can admire. She doesn't take crap from anyone. No, she is a leader, someone who wants her voice to be heard. I think the reason why she was placed in Ravenclaw was because of her wit. If it weren't for that, she would have made a good Gryffindor.

After all this deliberating, I still have to do one thing: tell them and while doing that'll have to decide what parts to leave out. This is going to be hands down a difficult task.

Sighing, I push open the door. Ellie and Annie are both on Annie's bed while Gemma is lounging on hers.

"Gemma, can you go out of the room for a while?" I ask sincerely. Glancing between the three of us, she seems to notice the seriousness of the situation. Giving me a blank look, she exits the dorm.

Haltingly, I make my way to where they are sitting. I sit down near the edge. None of them look up.

Clearing my throat, I begin, "Look guys..I have something to-"

Before I can even finish my sentence, Ellie cuts me off. "We don't want to hear."

Exhaling, I start again, "I don't really know what to say except that I am sorry. I know it sounds lame and all but I really am. Albus…. well it sort of just happened and…." I lose my train of thought and trail off.

No one speaks. We sit there, each of us in our own little spot. Three separate peas that used to be in a pod. We stay like that until Annie shifts to face me. "Aaliyah, I know you are sorry, okay? Even though I know that you are, doesn't make it hurt any less. I thought all three of us were friends… best friends. Not only that but I thought we could share everything with each other. I thought we were going to be honest with each other. I am not saying that I want to know every single little detail about your life…I just th-thought that you would have told us about something this big."

Her violet eyes appear to be more of a dull, dark shade rather than their familiar bright, light shade. It makes me feel even worse.

Ellie then speaks up, no trace of forgiveness in her voice. "I am still mad. You know what? I am not mad at all! I am furious!" Her jaw juts out and her fists are clenched. Thank Merlin she doesn't have a beater's bat right now or else I would be screwed.

"What can I do to make you feel better?" I ask softly, a frown tugging at my lips.

"Nothing," Ellie chirps.

"You can start by telling us why you didn't tell us in the first place," Annie starts, tying her hair up into a ponytail.

I stumble a little over my words. Nervousness scratches at my voice and body."I don't know… I was scared… I think."

"You're going to have to give a better explanation than that." Ellie plays with her hair, acting like she couldn't care less about what I have to say.

"Fine! You want to know the truth? Al wasn't ready to tell anyone and honestly neither was I. Even if I told you beforehand, you would judge me or make a nasty comment. And I'm not talking about Annie here. I'm talking about you." Lies flow out of my mouth. Screw this. Telling the truth isn't going to get me anywhere.

"How do you know how I was going to act if you had told me in the first place?" she emphasises the last part of her question and crosses her arms over her chest.

"Because that is _always_ how you act!" I don't know where my anger is coming from. I'm generally not this cross with her about anything.

"Guys, calm down. Let's just talk it out," Annie says, trying to play peacemaker.

I open and close my mouth a few times and that's when I realise something: I feel exhausted. Today has been kind of like this huge mountain with snow covering all those jagged, rocky parts and no matter how hard I try to climb up to the top, I keep slipping down to the bottom.

Standing up, I crawl onto the bed that is right next to hers which happens to be mine. Limbs splayed across every which way, I stare up at the bare ceiling. "I'm sorry," I whisper.

Before I know it, Ellie jumps in next to me and hugs me around the waist or well, tries to. "I'm sorry too."

Annie pushes my feet to make some room for herself.

"Now spill," Ellie and Annie both say simultaneously with matching grins.

* * *

 **A/N: First off, I'm going to give a big thank you to LilyAndScorpius4eva for being my fantastic beta so far.**

 **So how do you guys like your sixth year Ravenclaws? Ellie or Annie? Isaac and Ellie: to couple or not to couple? What's up with Seth?**

 **I would love to hear from you guys whether it is a line or two or a couple words. The review box is at the bottom of the page. ;)**

 **p.s. Albus wasn't in this chapter much but he'll be in the next chapter so look out for that.**


	4. Albus: The Confrontations

**-THE RONAN DAILY-**

 _Hogwarts Most Unusual Couple Yet!?_

Hogwarts has a new couple folks! This is no grand news since people regularly hook up, break up, make up, and etcetera, etcetera; however, these two are quite special and have each had their share of limelight. Can you guess who these "lovebirds" are? Need a clue? You may have seen them around, especially since a few days ago they made quite scene during breakfast at the Great Hall.

If you guessed Albus Potter and Aaliyah Herseth, you are correct! These two are now what we all call the "it couple." Students are already believing that they can be Hogwart's new "golden couple" as well. After the smashing James Potter and Gabby Herseth broke up, the seats of king and queen seem to be open. But do these dark-haired cuties have what it takes to be the miraculous golden couple? Here at the Ronan daily, we sadly have to inform you that we think not.

Looking at history and personality of the two, they seem the clash. And when people clash, they also burn. They both may be sixth years; however, they come from different houses. One comes from the devilish, cunning Slytherin while the other hails from the studious and quite snobby Ravenclaw. How does this fit? It doesn't.

Albus Potter hasn't had many girlfriends in the past so he may be a bit inexperienced when it comes to relationships. Aaliyah Herseth, though, seems to be _too_ experienced in this area, yet she doesn't acquire _proper_ judgement skills.

Putting all these measly facts aside, the way they act towards each other doesn't look sophisticated nor adorable. Instead, they come out as awkward. And I think we all know that there is absolutely no room for awkwardness in a relationship.

Now you may be asking if there is at least a glimmer of hope for this couple? Maybe but I don't think crossing your fingers may help these two in the slightest. Rather I would sit back, relax, and enjoy the show because where there is a clash of personalities, there is a spark of drama ready to ignite.

* * *

I drop the newspaper in front of her, taking advantage of Professor Regan's method of teaching that includes switching out seats. Aaliyah glances at the printed publication I've set on her workspace before turning her head to peer up at me. She seems surprised and anxious, but there is a chance I'm reading her wrong.

"What is that?" Hesitation slices through her words like a sharp knife.

"That is the Ronan Daily," I say, taking the empty seat next to her.

"And you are giving this to me why?" This time her face clearly shows that she is startled and in a way, I get where she is coming from. I mean, who wants to see, worst of all read, a newspaper that possibly has nasty things written about themselves?

"I want you to read it." Reaching over, I grab the horrid pieces of parchment and flip it to the front page. I then place it directly in her line of sight and she dejectedly begins to read the passage. As she does, I flip open my textbook to Felix Felicis which is what this side of the room is supposed to be studying.

It doesn't take long before she starts commenting her opinions. "Dark-haired cuties?"

"How is that bad?" I inquire. Last time I checked being called a "cutie" is a good thing. Not that I like being called cute, though. I prefer a more masculine term like "sexy." Sexy is like a package deal. The word is not only masculine but bold too, just how I like it.

"Don't you get it? She only called us cuties because she doesn't want to give me an actual compliment. Saying you're a cutie is just another way of saying you're not hot."

"Don't you think you are reading between the lines a tad too much?" I pry the paper from her hands and push my textbook in front of her since she hasn't bothered to touch hers yet. This way if the professor looks over, it'll seem like we're actually doing our assignment instead of socialising.

"No, I think you aren't understanding exactly what she is saying." She has a bite in her voice, but starts to half-heartedly skim the text on liquid luck, writing down notes as she does.

"Will it make you feel better if I tell you, you are way more than a cutie?" I tease, poking her in the ribs.

"No." She slaps my finger away and I chuckle.

"Fine, then tell me what she is _exactly_ saying." I place my hand on top of required reading, blocking it from her view and forcing her to look me in the eye. She glares at me, not uttering a word, but I don't let her shift her focus- not when I finally get her to look at me directly, not when the awkwardness between us seems like it's at a stand still.

At that moment, the bell chooses to ring and she uses the moment to slip away.

Damn bell.

Damn newspaper.

 _Damn her._

* * *

"I think Rose is signaling to you," Scorpius whispers to me as we sit down in our seats in Charms. I glance over my shoulder to see that he's right. My redhaired, brown-eyes cousin is staring me down with a displeased expression, clearly conveying that she wants to talk to me about something. Knowing Rose, if I don't go now, I'll get hell for it later. I should have known Rose would be here before everyone else; she has a knack of being early... for everything.

I slip out of my seat and make my way to her. The seat next to her is vacant, so I situate myself with my body angled toward her. She has a calculating look on her face, not one I am fond of.

"So, what's up Rosie?" The calculating face vanishes and a smile graces her face. The smile isn't a true, genuine one, though; no, it's a tightlipped, forced one. It makes me miss the one she used to always have on when she was a little kid. Those days seem so long ago now.

"Nothing much." She doesn't look me in face; instead, her eyes roam over her blank parchment. This is her way of getting ready to argue, to negotiate with someone till they agree to have it her way. Today that someone looks to be me.

"So… what did you call me here for?" I ask, wanting her to come out with it sooner rather than later.

A silence drops between the two of us and we both stare straight ahead, letting our eyes linger on the dark wood of the desks in front of us rather than each other. We used to be much closer, molding mud cakes together on the rain-stained grass during our childhood. It's different now. We're close without spending time in each other's separate worlds. Who we were and who we are now aren't the same; but we still manage to accept each other the way we are. That's how it is between family.

When she answers there isn't any hesitation in her voice. "I don't approve of your girlfriend."

The words ring in the air and all I can do is hear them.

It doesn't take me much time to come up with a response. "I never asked for your approval," I reply in a rather off-handed, arrogant manner. Rose spins around and for a second hurt shows on her face, but soon it is washed off and replaced with a glare.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew this was coming. Rose... well, she had never been and still isn't fond of Aaliyah, a nice way of saying she hates her really. I remember her scowling at her in between classes in third year, not even trying to hide it, and grumbling about how she probably cheated on her OWLs over the summer. The funny thing is that no one really knows where the hatred stemmed from. I have a feeling that even Rose can't pinpoint the reason behind it all.

Yet, the thing that bothers me isn't that she dislikes Aaliyah, but the hurt that crossed her face a minute ago… because she's Rose. Hurting Rose has always felt like hurting myself, as if her pain bounces back on me.

"What is that supposed to mean?" She snaps, sounding sort of snooty and even a slightly bitchy. She is always good at that. Being bitchy that is.

"That means that I don't really care if you don't 'approve' of her." I sigh. Knowing Rose, this is going to turn into a quarrel and arguing with family, especially the redhaired members, always ends up being taxing.

"Are you saying that if she is the person I hate the most, you would still date her?" Her eyes narrow to a small degree in annoyance and anger.

"No, Rose. I'm saying that you can't pick who I date and nor do I have to ask you if I can date someone beforehand."

"Well… I don't like her." Her comeback is so weak that I feel disappointed in her.

"She isn't that bad." I don't tell Rose that I actually have no idea how much truth that statement weighs.

"And how would you know that? How long have you been dating her? Like three days?" Her voice is louder and her fingers are starting to curl in frustration.

"Fine! Maybe I don't fully know her. But I know her enough that I'm dating her and will continue dating her because Rosie, she's nice."

"So that's why you're dating her? Because she's nice?" Rose watches me skeptically and snorts at me in disbelief.

"Why? Do you want me to give you a whole list on why I am dating Aaliyah?" I ask offhandedly, not expecting her to take my offer seriously.

Rose folds her arms over her chest and lifts her chin. "Yes, actually I would." I gape at her and she smirks. Did she just say that she wants an actual list?

"You want a list?" I ask to make she I heard correctly.

"Yes, I do. It shouldn't be that hard unless you only did it because Aaliyah's hot or something, which she really isn't." Wow, my cousin just called my current girlfriend _not_ hot. I'm sure glad Aaliyah didn't hear that, though I'm somewhat impressed that Rose had the confidence to say that in front of me, Aaliyah's supposed boyfriend.

"Rosie, I always thought you had a little more faith in me. Do you really think I date girls only because they're hot?"

"Al, stop trying to avoid making the list. Let's hear it." Mentally, I curse that she catches on to my attempt at subtle distraction. Her smirks stretches farther if that is even possible. Is this what everyone else feels when I smirk at them?

I sigh and get up from where seat I'm occupying. "Whatever. I'll give it to you at the end of the day or something."

Before I leave, she grabs my wrist, her nails lightly scratching my bare skin. Leaning in, she whispers menacingly, "Don't think I'm the only one in the family with a problem with her. Fred isn't happy with you either." She lets go and gives me one last look before going back to what she was working on earlier.

Great, now I have to make a list.

I'm definitely screwed.

* * *

"What are you doing?" hisses Scorpius from next to me. Looking over my shoulder, he tries to decipher my handwriting.

I don't respond. Instead, I keep staring at the list I'm constructing on a slightly crumpled piece of parchment during Transfiguration. Right now I only have three bullet points on it. Fan- _fucking_ -tastic.

"You do realise we're supposed to be doing textbook work, right?" Scorpius questions.

"I already finished it." I smirk at him and he continues on with his unfinished work, leaving me alone for now.

Only a few minutes pass and Scorpius interrupts my thinking. _Again._

"Did you just write down 'decent bum'?" peeking over my shoulder, he reads the rest. "Smart, nice eyes, cute freckles. Okay, who are we talking about here?"

"Rose asked me to make her a list on why I am dating Aaliyah," I explain.

"Ah and this is all you can come up with?" Scorpius asks clearly amused.

"Well, now that I think about it 'decent height' is another one," I muse, writing it down.

Scorpius looks at with derision, probably ridiculing on me on how unimaginative I am in his head. "Can't you come up with a meaningful one?"

"Well, it's not like I know her well enough to know if she has good taste in music, or if she has a cute laugh, or if she makes me laugh."

"Then make it up." Truth is, I already thought of making it all up, but I knew what lying would cause. Knowing Rose, if I put 'great taste in music,' she would question me what bands and singers Aaliyah likes and then keep interrogating me till she proves that Aaliyah and I aren't right for each other and etcetera, etcetera.

"That doesn't really feel right." Right at the moment, the bell rings and most of the students rush out. Scorpius and I start packing our books and quills when Aaliyah approaches us.

"Hey!" She smiles shyly at Scorpius and ignores me completely. Did she mean to do that or is she being cheeky?

Before I can take it away from her line of sight, she sees the list and snatches it into her hand.

"Hmm… smart, nice eyes, cute freckles, and a… decent bum?" She pinches her eyebrows together confused. "Are cheating on me already or do you normally rate girls behind your girlfriend's back?" Her eyes gleam in interest. She seems to be absolutely entertained by the list and is probably secretly hoping catching me in the act would cause me to blush which it won't.

"No, that list is all about you," Scorpius states winking at me mischieviously.

She raises her eyebrow at me and I merely shrug. "Is my bum only decent?" Aaliyah asks, glancing over her shoulder to check.

Scorpius laughs and I suppress a grin.

"So… why the list?" she questions, showing a lot of fascination in the piece of parchment. That list is getting more attention from her than me and I'm technically supposed to be her boyfriend.

"Rose." The sparkle in her eyes dim and she frowns.

"She asked me to make a list on why I am dating you. I wanted some time to come up with some good, solid reasons so I told her I'll give it to her by the end of the day."

She nods, and expression of slight annoyance crossing her features.

"By the way, I'm Scorpius Malfoy. Al's best friend. We haven't been formally introduced yet because this prat didn't bother to." Scorpius holds out his hand to her and she shakes it.

"Well, I'm Aaliyah Herseth. Your prat of a best friend didn't bother to introduce me either." Scorpius chuckles and Aaliyah grins.

"Anyway, the 'prat' wants help with the list so any advice would be great thanks," I declare, plucking the list out of Aaliyah's hand. After that one little action, for some reason, no one speaks.

Scorpius and Aaliyah share a look before staring at me; and for another some odd reason, all I can do is stare back at them, no even daring to break the bubble that's surrounding us. Awkwardness fills the space around us like a pitcher pouring water into a glass: noisily and quickly. The discomfort bothers me, no- it bothers us. Yet, no one takes their eyes off each other because though we may have our differences, we are alike in one quality: we are all equally stubborn.

"What are you three doing here?" We all whip around to see Blackwell raising an eyebrow at us in suspicion.

"We were just leaving, Professor," I say smoothly.

She nods, though her eyes constrict as well, the suspicion refusing to her expression. "Be quick about it then." With that she leaves the room, robes bellowing behind her.

Scorpius exhales, clearly relieved that Blackwell is gone. I can't help but feel the same way. She reminded me too much of a hawk, with her sharp eyes and grim mouth. "I swear that woman turns up when you don't expect her to. Honestly, she should start acting her age. She acts like McGonagall even though she is only in her thirties."

Aaliyah chuckles and starts walking toward the door, stopping right next to me as she goes. "Fantastic snogger. Put that on your list." And just like that she is out the door and out of sight; but sadly, not out of mind.

"Dude… if I wasn't crushing on Rose, she would totally turn me on," Scorpius whispers, looking at the door she walked out of.

I smack him upside the head. "Shut up."

* * *

"Exactly when were you interested in my sister, _Al_?"

Gabby's distinct voice has a bite to it. She isn't pleased. I don't need to look up from my Charm's essay to know that.

"Look at me when I speak to you Al," she says, no- commands.

Sighing, I face her. Her icy blue eyes read my face, searching for answers. I glance down, not able to stare straight at her knowing I would have to lie to her. I should have known she would come to me. I have always been closer to her than her own sister, not mention that she knows how to squeeze answers out of me like no one else can.

Chair legs scratch the floor and she deposits herself on the seat across from me. We are currently at the library, in a secluded corner away from the public eye. Dusty shelves, scrawled-on tables, and preoccupied students lay a few feet away from us. One of the tables I mentioned rests between us, which is good incase she gets violent. Not that Gabby usually gets violent cause she doesn't; but there have been a few incidents so it doesn't hurt to take caution.

"Al." Her voice is softer this time; not warmer, only softer, a clear distinction. I force my eyes to stay down, to focus on the words on the parchment, but they don't. Instead, the words blur and all I can make out is black smudges. Giving up, I play with the quill in my hand. Gosh, this is so boring… and tiring.

"Al, what's going on? What're you dragging her into?" She sounds sympathetic and caring, but I don't miss the edge of her tone. She is simultaneously being friendly and threatening me. And frankly, I can't really blame her. I think everyone close to her is aware of how much she watches out for Aaliyah, how much she is protective of her, well… except for Aaliyah that is. And some people, like myself, know she does it out of guilt because a couple years ago she sort of a rubbish at the older sibling thing. She didn't really know what was going on in Aaliyah's life and nor did she make much of an effort to. That was the way things were, but people change and it usually takes one spark, one event to change them and that is exactly what happened to Gabby.

"What makes you think I'm dragging her into something?" I ask plainly.

"Because I know you, Al. And I'm pretty sure I would have known if you had that much interest in my sister, that you would end up dating her," she voices strongly.

"Well, then maybe you don't know me," I finally state, making my emerald eyes meet her blue ones.

She laughs. "Al, Aaliyah didn't want anything to do with you."

"And you know that how?" I counter.

"Because she thought you were cold. She thought that you didn't seem reachable, that you were lost inside of yourself. And I'm the one that tried to convince her otherwise."

"Well, then... maybe she did think otherwise," I state.

"I highly doubt that. I think I know Aaliyah enough that she wouldn't even try to get to know you the way I did." Her eyes narrow slightly, yet she doesn't seem mad. She seems frustrated and confused and, beyond all of that, miserable.

I let out a breath and pinch my nose, not knowing what my next move should be. A silence passes between us and we sit there, unsure if we should leave each other alone or keep arguing until we got sick of it.

Gabby and I… we don't fight, not really. We agree on most things and the ones we don't agree on, we let go and move on. Clearly, ignorance is both of our specialities.

Gabby and Scorpius are the two people that I am most honest to, the ones a let in more than others. However, that doesn't mean they know everything, because they don't. There are always some things I keep to myself and I'm pretty sure no matter how close I let someone get, I'll never let them in on those secrets.

"Do you like her?"

Her voice is so quiet that I barely catch what she says.

"Huh?"

Gabby swallows. "Do you like her? Even if it is a little bit, do you like her?"

She holds my gaze for the longest time before I breathe, "Yeah."

She nods twice as if once to me and once to reassure herself. "Good."

With that she exits the library.

* * *

"Alright. Good practice today guys. Next practice is tomorrow morning at six sharp." The whole team groans, but deep inside (and I mean really deep) they know it's for the best. Well, I think they do.

They all fly down one by one and when the last member reaches the ground, I point my broom downwards and swiftly make my way through the wind till my feet touch the dewy grass. Once I land, my eyes land on Nott, Scorpius, and Blaine trying and failing to get the bludgers back into the Quidditch equipment box. Sighing, I wave them off. "Go in and change. I'll pack up."

Nott shrugs and treks toward out changing rooms. Scorpius and Blaine peer at me, asking me silently if I need help. I motion them to go on and they relentlessly follow Nott.

It takes precisely twenty-eight minutes to get both bludgers and the snitch back into the trunk (the Quaffle was already placed there by Nott). Kneeling down, I bend over and close the latch and when I stand back up, I am surprised by the figure a couple away from me.

He stands there, arms crossed over his chest. He smiles a smile; a humourless one, a joyless one, a painful one. His warm brown eyes sparkle in amusement and maybe even some anger; however, not the mischief they used to carry.

"Finishing up practice I see." His bulky and tall build has always made him a bit intimidating. And right now, the top of his head reaches a few inches taller than my own, making me a tad worried. I'm not scared that he'll punch me, no- I'm scared of what his words will do.

"Yeah," I say grabbing the handle on one end of the box while he grabs the other. We carry it into the storage room, not speaking a word to each other.

When we place it down, I face him. "What do you want?"

"Can't a cousin pay a visit to another cousin without any suspicion?" he teases.

"Not when the other cousin knows that the one coming to him wants something," I reply smirking. His smile drops as expected. "Now why don't you come out with it."

"Why are you doing this?" he asks, face expressionless. He had perfected this technique these past few months while the others don't seem to give a shite, I do.

"I have no idea what you are talking about." My tone comes out even and measured, the way I like it.

"Aaliyah," he says her name as if it is the answer to every question.

"Aaliyah, what?" I push him farther, forcing him to answer because I want to know if he has a response, I want to know if he has reasons, commendable reasons for what he did he did to her.

Sighing, he grits out, "Why. Are. You. Dating. Aaliyah?" His eyes are sharp and sear through mine in annoyance and what is that I see: regret?

"Why do I need to tell you?" I quip back.

His fist curls and uncurls and his left eye twitches slightly. "Look, please… I need to know you'll take good care of her, that you'll give her what I never did. And…"

"And?" I urge him to continue.

"If you have the heart in you, let… let her go. Now, let her go now… before it is too late, before she has feelings for you and let her return to… m-me." His face is both determined and soft with remorse. He gives me one last glance before he turns and leaves.

"Fred."

He turns back. "Yeah?" His eyes look so hopeful that I feel pain knowing what I'll do.

"I'm sorry. I can't."

It takes those few words for the hope to fully vanish and for remorse to take over.

* * *

 **A/N: And here is the next chapter! I would love to hear what you guys think of it so feel free to drop a line in the review box.**


	5. Aaliyah: The Slytherins

Lists. Some people find them useless and a waste of time to produce; others, like myself, find them an organised way assemble ideas, record information, and simply write down things to remember to do later.

You can use a list for grocery shopping (my Mum), you can use a list for writing down your goals and actually making sure you accomplish them (my cousin, Elise), and the best use... you can use a list to weigh the pros and cons to something... or a situation, like let's say The of Problems With Dating Albus Potter When Not Having Feelings for Him.

I have to say that the title has a ring to it, doesn't it?

It currently reads:

 _Being the new 'it couple.'_ No matter how much you want to be it, you don't because when the two of you break up, people will always whisper about it. They will never let you forget about 'the good ol' times' or you know… _him_.

 _The Ronan Daily (more specifically Charlotte)._ Her cronies will be around snapping pictures. And in those pictures I'll have to look loving which I am not particularly good at. Charlotte will also be sniffing around trying to find something fishy to embarrass me with in some sort of way. To be honest, I'm quite scared if she ends up finding anything 'cause she most likely will.

 _The Weasleys and Potters._ There is no way convincing them is going to easy. Albus and I have never clicked in the past. Conversations between us had been rare. I have a feeling we are going to regret that now, but what can you do about it? That's right, nothing.

However, what I didn't expect when I agreed to this arrangement is the snappy comments, snarky retorts, and half-attempted arguments. When you think about it, to have a real full-fledged argument with someone you need to know said person. Not only that, you are going to need to know how to pick out their flaws and find out their biggest insecurities. Taking that into consideration, our arguments aren't really arguments. They are just small disagreements or pointless bickering. Basically, a string of semi-harsh words thrown at each other. (Well, whispered at each other. We can't really yell at each other without people noticing. I mean we are supposed to be the picture of a happy couple.)

The worst part is that I don't think we even know why it keeps happening. Our behavior is bothersome and quite annoying. We may be doing it because we don't know what else to do. I mean we could be civil, but it would feel forced and fake and none of us want anything even more fake than it already is. Albus and I are lacking something.

And surprisingly, I know what it is: Respect. Acting like you respect someone doesn't cut it. You have to let that person earn the respect, which we haven't done by a long shot. The next element is trust. He doesn't trust me and I definitely don't have an ounce of trust to give him. Last but not least, an understanding. There is a deal in place. There are a couple ground rules in place (not all of the ones I want, only most of them). Still, that doesn't mean we have an understanding. No, that means we have boundaries. See the difference?

Basically, Albus and I are the epitome of awkward. That or uncomfortable. Either one is fine.

* * *

"How much do you weigh?"

"Excuse me?" I ask surprised. I discard my book and whip around to look at the dark haired boy behind me. He matches my gaze without flinching, shrugging after a few seconds of my scrutinising,

"You heard me didn't you?" His mouth is a straight line and his tone is even, too even as if he is bored and I'm supposed to be his source of entertainment.

"Has no one ever told you not to question a girl's weight or do I have to teach you?" I hiss.

"Actually my dad told me but that doesn't mean I won't ask. Seriously, my leg is beginning to feel sore," he quips back, rubbing the side of his thigh to prove a point.

"Well… if you hadn't insisted on making a grand display of affection, I wouldn't be sitting on your lap." My voice rises as I speak and yet he sits there with a monotonous expression. Is it truly that difficult for him to stop being so… so reserved?

He open his mouth to reply when Scorpius interrupts, "Guys, you're in the Slytherin Common Room. Can you not raise your voices? People may start noticing." He shoots both of us a look of irritation and disappointment.

Over the past week or so I've grown to like Scorpius. That may be a short time frame; however, he doesn't give the sort of negative vibe other people sometimes do. Not to mention that he's been nice to me even when he isn't obligated to be and the best part is that... _he knows_. We don't have to act around him, pretend to be something we're not. Was I mad when Albus first told me that one of his friends knew and none of mine did? Yes, but I'm over it… for the most part.

"In my defense, she's heavy," Albus proclaims, holding his hands up in the air in innocence. Yeah… right.

Scorpius shakes his head in amusement and returns to reading his Defense textbook.

"So… Scorpius, why don't you have a girlfriend?" I ask, picking up the paperback novel I dropped earlier. Albus snorts and I watch both of them, confused and curious.

"Just… haven't met the right girl yet." Scorpius smiles sheepishly and I can't help but wonder why he's getting so shy all of a sudden. Scorpius isn't exactly a shy bloke, far from that actually.

"You haven't met the right girl?" I question, pressing on about the subject though it really isn't any of my business.

"Not yet," he confirms, nodding.

"Really?" I ask, disbelief laced into my voice.

"Aaliyah, stop drilling him. Why are you so interested anyway?" Albus raises an eyebrow at me, yet he doesn't seem suspicious. I'm about to let the topic drop when I notice the way Albus is flicking the lint absentmindedly of my skirt, a shadow of a victorious smirk tugging at his lip. He's trying to throw me off topic and I was close to falling for it.

So, I smile and respond with a "I'm curious."

"You're curious about why Scorpius doesn't have a girlfriend?" Albus now looks slightly amused. That is till I knock his hand off my leg, causing him to scowl.

"Yeah," I say, nodding my head. I somehow manage not to yelp when he pinches me in the side as payback for his hand/

"I'm pretty sure half the guys at Hogwarts don't have girlfriends," Albus states knowingly, letting out a low grunt only I can hear when I casually slam my back into his shoulder.

"Well… yeah, but isn't Scorpius one of the most talked about guys in school?" They both turn to look at me, confused and a little stunned. Albus doesn't bother to come up with a way to get back at me for his shoulder.

"Really?" Scorpius questions, a thoughtful look in his eyes.

"How did you guys not know that?" They would have to be deaf and possibly blind to not be aware. The girls at this school make sure to show when they think a guy is cute, hot or sexy. Come to think of it, they aren't afraid to make sure the guy knows that they want to jump his bones. We aren't exactly a inconspicuous lot.

"I knew some girls talked about me. Though, I didn't know that I'm one of the most talked about guys in the school," Scorpius answers, shrugging it off politely.

"Wait, who _is_ the most talked about guy in the school?" Albus inquires, a whisper of curiosity in his tone.

A couple of seconds later, he answers his own question and as do I. "James," we both say, sharing a knowing look. His eyes sparkle and I can't help but notice that this is probably the first time we completely agreed on something without having to argue or compromise.

"Well I'll be going. See you two lovebirds later." Scorpius stands up and makes his way out of the common room, leaving the rest of the couch empty.

I slip off of Albus's lap and onto the seat Scorpius vacated. A part of me itches to leave at least six inches of space between Albus and I, but the logical side knows I can't. That would make it seem like I am desperate to get away from him, so I leave only three.

We both sit there for a while, not talking, only dwelling in our own thoughts before Albus speaks, "I didn't mean what I said earlier."

"About what?" My voice is quieter and candid. It matches his perfectly.

"About your weight. You actually aren't-"

I interrupt him, "I know." I sink into the couch and tilt my head back. The leather is smooth with a layer of raw coldness sticking to it like second skin. I guess the chilliness is to be expected since the common room is in the dungeons.

Once again, we don't speak, letting the silence swarm around us for a while. This time I break the silence.

"We really are awkward, aren't we?" The common room has less students now, slowly starting to become empty. The green lamps glow brighter and shadows dance across the ancient walls. The place is starting to give off this creepy vibe, one that I'm not particularly fond of.

"Yeah," he sighs, "we are."

"Why is that?" I face him, but he doesn't do the same until after he answers my question.

"It's just the way we are."

"I don't believe that." I truly don't; it can't be that simple.

"And why is that?" He doesn't argue or disagree with me this time. This time he wants to know my opinions, my thoughts, my reasonings.

I breathe in. "Because… that can't be it." I breathe out. "I mean... people feel awkward when they don't know something or someone. It can't just be the way we are, you know? That can't be the only reason we are acting like this. If it was, then we would feel this barrier every time we meet someone new or whatever. This is… this is just because we aren't trying. And we're not trying because we don't want to. Honestly... I don't like you. However, I don't hate you either. And I'm willing to try to make this run more smoothly if you are willing to too."

He stares at me, his emerald eyes even greener than usual with the reflection of the lamps glowing in them. He scrunches his eyebrows in thought before he clears his throat. "I think… you're right." In that instant, I feel relieved, like a weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. "And I'll try, like honestly try."

"Okay."

"So… what now?"

I ponder on this question for a moment. "Small talk."

"Small talk?"

"Yup."

"You want to make small talk?" he asks again, bewildered.

"Yeah."

"Okay… what do you want to talk about?" He relaxes a little, sliding a little down in his seat.

"Hmm… past girlfriends."

His eyebrows shoot up and he rubs the back of his neck. Oh, am I making him nervous? Well, this is going to be fun.

"That isn't exactly small talk," he points out.

"Is Albus Potter scared? Or even better, is Albus Potter hiding something?" I tease.

"No, I'm not hiding anything." I raise an eyebrow at him, but he doesn't react, not in any way that I can read that is. "Why do you want to know anyway?"

"I don't know. I can't even imagine someone willingly dating you. Have you ever even dated anyone?"

He rolls his eyes at my insult, picking up on the fact that I'm joking. "Yes, I have."

"Who?"

"Ambrosia Higgins and Katie Stewart." I'm shocked at first. I didn't expect him to give me an answer. I didn't expect him to actually tell me anything. He's always been too reserved to tell anyone much. Why is he telling me or is he just telling me because it doesn't mean much to him?

"You've only had two girlfriends?"

"Yeah." He doesn't even look embarrassed about it.

"Seriously?" I can't bring myself to believe him. He's apart of the Weasley family. How is it possible that he has only had two girlfriends? I mean, he is sixteen, right? Or he might be seventeen already?

"Technically three," he answers after some deliberating.

"Who's the third?"

"You." Oh… right.

"Does that even count?" If he doesn't really think of me like that and I don't think of him in that way either, does that mean I'm still counted as one of his actual girlfriends? No, right?

"I think it does."

"Oh," I pause before switching back to the two girls me mentioned before, "tell me about them."

"You want to know?" His tone is surprisingly cordial.

"Yeah, I actually do."

"Okay then," he pauses. "Ambrosia was a cute brunette," he stops.

"And?" I urge. He gives me a sort of annoyed expression before continuing.

"I dated her in third year. Our relationship was a short three weeks." I wait for him to keep going. He doesn't.

"That's it?"

"What else did you expect?"

"Did you like her?"

He looks down at his hands before looking back up to meet my eyes. "I think I did."

"Okay. Did you ever kiss her?" I keep interrogating.

"Why are you asking so many question?" His tone is a bit defensive.

"I don't know a lot about you. I've never really kept tabs on your life or asked James about you so this is me doing my research," I reason, widening my eyes and fluttering my lashes at him.

"Research?" His eyes crinkle in hilarity and disbelief.

"Yes, it is for the knowledge," I repeat. He chuckles. Hmm… I've never seen him laugh that much. It looks better on him than his usual poise and shrewdness.

"Fine, but if I tell you, you have to tell me about yours." He strikes up a deal, one that I'll agree to.

"Sure."

"No, I never kissed her." I nod along ann then realise what he just said. Wait… what?!

"You never kissed her!"

"Why don't you say that a little louder? I don't think the whole house has heard you yet," he states sarcastically.

"You are kidding, right?" I whisper frantically.

"No, I'm not. All we did was hold hands."

"Oh. How about Katie?"

"Katie… she was different."

"Different how?"

"She wasn't quiet and shy like Ambrosia. She was loud and energetic. She was adventurous. That's what I liked about her." His voice is sincere and it astounds and mesmerizes me. "She made me different. And I liked spending time with her. _A lot._ She wouldn't giggle much but when she laughed, she laughed wholeheartedly. And she made this funny face every time she saw raisins. She couldn't stand them at all."

"What happened?"

"Life, I guess. She ended up breaking up with me after two months. She didn't want it to get too serious."

And here enters the third silence and like the last one, I end up breaking it.

"So you did kiss Katie right?" I joke and in return, he chuckles.

"Yes, Aaliyah. I did snog her."

"Oh..you snogged her too?" I tease.

"There is a difference?" he inquires, his expression incredulous.

"Yes, there is. Maybe one day you'll learn it," I say, getting up for my seat and trying to make a quick getaway.

"Not so fast." He grabs my arm and pulls me back and I end up falling into his lap. Damn it."You're turn." He smirks at me, a mischievous glint in his eyes. I'm totally screwed.

"Me?"

"Yes you."

"I haven't really had any girlfriends over the years. You see I like to stick with boys." He laughs and while he does, I quickly get up and start to flee.

"Aaliyah." I stop mid step and turn around. His faces gives it away. He knew I wasn't going to tell him and for some reason he looks okay with it.

He shakes his head. "Nevermind."

And with that I exit.

* * *

A couple of days later, I am in the Slytherin Common Room. _Again._ But I'm not here for hanging out in the common room. Nope, not this time. This time I'm here to visit the Sixth Years Boys Dormitory.

Well, isn't this going to be fun.

Not.

Sighing to myself, I raise my hand and knock on the wooden door labeled with an elegant six. It doesn't take long before it swings open, but it isn't who I had hoped it would be.

"Aaliyah?" Scorpius asks surprised.

"Hey, Scorpius. Is Albus here?" I smile at him innocently and he shakes his head in a 'no.'

"Can I give a message?" Scorpius looks down at me knowingly, an amused, suggestive grin playing on his lips.

I glare at him, recognizing the expression on his face. "It's not like that."

"Then what is it like?" He tilts his head back in inquiry and leans against the frame of the door. He's provoking me in a childish, friendly manner.

I roll my eyes at him and push a thick textbook into his hands. "Just give this to Albus. He forgot it." I turn to leave but Scorpius grabs my hand.

"Aaliyah, I was just joking," he exclaims, still smiling.

"I know. I really need to go, though. What would people think if I was up here?"

"That you are shagging Al," he jests and throws in a wink for good measure. I chuckle at him. The thought of that is quite funny, to be honest.

"Scorpius, who're you talking to?" someone shouts from inside the room. Before I can make myself leave, a body appears beside Scorpius.

"Well, well, well. Look who it is. Aaliyah Herseth, Alby's new girlfriend. Tell me, why has Potter been keeping you a secret for so long?" the newcomer chides, a spark of interest in his eyes. He's around Scorpius's height, maybe a little shorter. His hair is an ashy brown and his eyes are a light cognac color.

I look to Scorpius for help and he gives me a 'I'll take care of this' look in return. "Don't you have anything better to do than pester us, Hennings?"

Hennings doesn't seem to mind Scorpius's comment and keeps his eyes focused on me. He looks me up and down and I narrow my eyes at him. Exactly what does he think he's doing? And who the hell gave him the right to check me out?

He nods as if approving of me and holds out his hand. Ruffling his hair with his other hand in a shy manner, he introduces himself. "I'm Sebastian Hennings. And although Malfoy here likes to call me by my last name, I prefer Sebastian." He gives me a warm grin and I end up putting my hand in is. Hmm… maybe he isn't a jerk.

"Oi, you two! Why are you blocking the door?" The question once again comes from inside the dorm. Sebastian and Scorpius flip their heads back to see who the speaker is. He comes closer to the door and I squint at him. He looks familiar. The familiar stranger peers out at me, blockaded by Scorpius and Sebastian's bodies.

His greenish-blue eyes twinkle at me in recognition and his soft-looking, butterscotch blonde hair stands out next to the other two. He is none other than Kian Walker… my potions partner from fourth year. "Hey Aaliyah," he greets.

"Oh, hey Kian." Scorpius and Sebastian whip their heads back and forth between the two of us, confusion written all over their faces.

"How do you two know each other?" Scorpius questions.

"She was my Potions partner," Kian answers calmly, raising an eyebrow at Scorpius's suspicion.

"Oh," Scorpius says plainly.

"So… Aaliyah," Kian starts, a devilish smirk tugging at the corner of his lips. "Looking for your Al? Or what do you call him now… ah, your boyfriend?"

I groan and they all laugh at my behavior. Am I going to be asked the same question multiple times by Albus's dorm mates? If I had made a quick getaway earlier, I wouldn't have to face them, give or take that I would have met them sometime or another.

"Come on." Kian reaches out and grabs me by the elbow, pulling me into their dorm. Okay, maybe this isn't going to end up well for me. You know, me in the Slytherin Boys' Dorm. I can already think up a dozen reasons why I shouldn't be in here. One being that people are going to be thinking that I'm 'doing it dirty' and another being the Slytherins interrogating me.

 _Where is Albus when I need him?_

Kian leads me into the room, sits me down on what I'm guessing is his bed, and takes a seat on the bed across from his. I take a glance around the dormitory. It isn't what I expected. There is the usual five beds and nightstands and trunks; however, the room isn't messy and cluttered, but mostly clean. There is a few pieces of clothing and a book or two laying around here and there, but, other than that, the space is organized and neat. _Weird._

"So…"

"So what?" I ask, acting like I haven't got faintest clue about what he's talking about.

"Don't play dumb. Tell me." He gives me his best impression of puppy dog eyes. It doesn't work. He gives up and urges, "Come on, Aaliyah. Am I not your friend?"

The thing about Kian is that he's actually right. He is my friend. Not a best friend but good friend. In the beginning (when we were first assigned together), I thought he was mean since he didn't talk much and had this sort of brooding demeanor. Once I got to know him, he turned out to be sweet and gentle and kind, not what you expect of a Slytherin. But as time passed I came to realise that he does have his Slytherin qualities: his self-preservation, ambitiousness, and cleverness.

"Yes but.." my words hang in the air and I can't think of anything to say after.

"Give it a rest, Walker," Sebastian interrupts, walking over and taking a seat next to me. "If she'll tell anyone, she'll tell me. Won't you, Herseth?" He throws an arm around me for good measure, squeezing my shoulders in the process.

Scorpius comes over and takes a place next to Kian, chortling at Sebastian's silliness.

Before any of them can badger me more for details on my relationship with Albus, the door opens and in walks said boyfriend and one of his friends.

He stops dead in his tracks, a probing expression drawn on his face. "Aaliyah, what are you doing here?"

"Umm…I came to return a textbook?" My statement comes out more like a question rather than a sentence.

Albus analyzes the four of us and then shrugs. "Okay then. Well, I think it is time for you to go." He struts over and takes my hand, pulling me away from Sebastian's grip.

Sebastian pulls me back down. "What are you trying to do mate? Hide your girlfriend from us?"

"Why of course. If she met you all, she would run away," Albus answers smirking yet a light-hearted tone in his voice.

The person who entered with Albus is soon next to him. His golden brown hair falls somewhat into his eyes and his enchanting golden eyes peek through strands of it. His skin is kind of tanned but not too tanned. He has this miraculous glow coming off of him.

"Hi, I'm Blaine," he introduces himself, offering me a humble half-smile. I stare at him in wonder. Now, where do I remember that name from? Wait… Blaine… isn't he the guy that has a crush on Annie?

"Now that we are all done with introductions, Aaliyah will be leaving," Albus announces, taking my hand. _Again._

"Albus… let her stay."

"Yeah, we want to get to know your girlfriend."

"It's not like we'll scare her off or anything."

"We'll be on-"

"-our best behaviors..."

" _..like our absolute best behaviors._ "

Albus stands there, pondering on what to do. All four Slytherins stare at him, nodding at the 'best behavior' part.

Albus exhales loudly. "Alright." Socrpius mouths 'run while you can' and Kian smacks Sebastian upside the head for some comment he made. We all head to the center of the room and sit down on the rug in a circular formation. And we all just start talking.

* * *

"Gosh, I'm so sorry that I'm late," I gasp out bending over, hands on my knees. I had run all the way here from the dungeons in two and a half minutes. Blaine was telling us about the time Annabel locked Scorpius and him in a broom closet, claiming that they loved each other and shouldn't be afraid of what other people think. Turns out there is a whole group of 'Blapius' (Blaine + Scropius) shippers. Anyway, this story has made me fifteen minutes late for prefect rounds with Seth.

"It's fine," Seth says, starting to walk away. I quickly catch up with him and match my stride with his.

We don't talk while we head for the third floor. The sound of our feet bounce of the walls and the torches that lit up the hallways dim somewhat.

My eyes peek up at him. His hair is still the same as it has always been: light brown, in between curly and wavy, and cut short. He has a good five-six inches on me. I remember the days where we used to be the same height. I guess those days are gone now.

I continue to stare at him (not that he's aware). His face is angular, a well defined shape but is still soft at the edges. His cheekbones are subtle yet noticeable and his nose complements his face. And his upper body is starting to get buff and muscular instead of his usual lankiness. How had I not acknowledged this before?

"Aaliyah." His voice snaps me out of my thoughts.

"Huh?" I ask dumbly.

"You stopped walking," he explains, a look of concern washes over him.

"Oh," I say, glancing down at my feet.

"You okay?" he asks.

"Yeah," I reassure, starting to walk again, "I'm fine."

Seth frowns at me but doesn't say anything else. We return to patrolling quietly. However, it doesn't feel right. Usually, Seth and I chat and laugh on rounds. That's why I was so glad I got him as a partner at the beginning of the year. Now, something between us feels wrong, stretched, and weary as if there is an elephant in the room... but I don't know what the elephant is.

I reach out and touch his hand, stopping him in his tracks.

"Is there an elephant in the room I don't know about?" I inquire cringing.

He watches me for a while before stating, "Yeah, I think there is."

I bite my lip and tuck my hair behind my ear in frustration. "Well, can you tell me what it is? Because I have no clue whatsoever!"

"How should I know," he exclaims, equally frustrated.

"Because you are the one that caused it!" I blame. Where is this coming from? And why am I blaming him?

"I caused it?" He bellows, not believing a word of it.

"Who else could have caused this?" My hands make crazy gestures in the air. I'm not sure who I'm angry at more: him or myself. Damn it, I'm not even sure if I am angry. And if I am, I'm not sure where this anger is coming from.

"Oh, I don't know… your boyfriend perhaps!" he yells, sarcastic and irritated. This makes me gape at him. All of a sudden, all the anger floods out of my body, leaving only confusion.

"What?" I whisper.

"You know what," he closes him eyes, " nevermind." He steps away from me but I grab his arm, the need of an answer gripping me hard.

"What does he have to do with this?" I voice my thoughts, my volume low and my tone mellow.

"Nothing." He shakes his head, shame crossing his face briefly. He doesn't fight me, though.

"If it was nothing, you wouldn't have said it," I reason.

He stares at me with his light green eyes, fighting with himself to tell me or not. I'm rooting for him to tell me. He leans against the wall, exhausted. His eyes close and he breathes out, "If I told you, you wouldn't be able to handle it." His body slides down and into a sitting position on the ground. I let got of his arm and do the same, sitting only a few inches away from him.

"How will you know if you never tell me?" I ask softly.

He keeps his eyes closed and his lips pressed together as if it pains him to not tell me. I reach out and put my hand in his. His eyes flash open immediately. Grass meets concrete and everything comes out.

"I like you." He holds his breath and it takes me a while for me to understand what he is saying.

"What?" This isn't real. Seth can't like me. I mean Ellie has been teasing us for so long but that's what it has always been… some mere teasing.

"I like you. Not the I like you as a friend thing, Aaliyah, I fancy you," he explains, sadness written all over his face. We stare at each other, not knowing what to say next.

This is Seth and _me_. Through the years, he's been my best guy friend (next to James that is) and only that. Him telling me he likes me more than that is… weird and unexpected and a whole lot other stuff I can't describe.

He seems to read my mind, "Believe me, I don't like this anymore that you do." His eyes are downcast and his skin turns pale. It must hurt: having feelings for someone you shouldn't.

"When?"

"Huh?" he asks.

"Since when?" I clarify.

He shakes his head, a small smile gracing his painstriken face. "Honestly… I don't know."

"How do you not know?" If you fall for your best friend, shouldn't you have some kind of clue when you fell for them?

"I just don't know," he says, shrugging helplessly.

"Then how do you know that you like me?" I inquire.

"You really want to know?" he questions hesitantly. I nod. "I can feel it," he points to where his heart is, "in here." I stare at him in shock and he keeps talking, "I see you and for some reason a smile comes on my face, a goofy one. I see you everyday and yet I still smile that goofy smile whenever you are around. When I'm around you, I feel happy. Even happier than when I'm playing Quidditch or messing around with Isaac. No, I'm happiest when you are somewhere near. And… I notice things. A lot of things," he turns to me when he says this, "about you."

Like when you are reading, you bite your lip to keep from laughing. Or how you hate when Ellie makes you support Hufflepuff in a Slytherin-Hufflepuff match because you know they suck. And how you secretly practice on your broom early in the morning on Sundays even though you quit the team in fifth year."

I blink, taken aback by what he just said. Oh gosh, he does fancy me. Guilt starts to bubble up at the pit of my stomach. _This_ isn't good.

"Don't feel guilty, Aaliyah," he orders in a friendly way.

"I'm so sorry-" Seth cuts me off.

"Don't be sorry," he says, shaking his head at me. His voice becomes lighter, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I'm putting you through this, that I'm making you feel guilty but… I'm not sorry that I like you. I'll never be sorry for that. Ever. You are an amazing girl, Aaliyah and it pains me that I fell for someone I shouldn't have but I'm not sorry that that girl is you. I know you won't feel the same. And… I get that. But always know that I wouldn't take it back, because seeing you makes me happy, knowing you makes me happy, and once you feel the same as I do, maybe even more, for some deserving guy, I'll still be happy."

His right hand clasps my right cheek, directing all his focus on me. He then kisses me on the top of my head and stands up.

He extends a hand to help me up and says, "Come on. We have rounds to finish up." He grins down at me and I let him pull me up.

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I am sadly not J.K. Rowling. I don't own Harry Potter. Just the OCs and plot.**

 **A/N: I am slowly posting up all the chapters so be patient with me. :)**

 **How do you like the Slytherins? Which one do you like the most? And Albus having only had two past girlfriends, shocker much or expected? And Seth confesses! Hope you like this chapter and I would love to hear your thoughts. :)**


	6. Albus: The Family

"So when's Aaliyah meeting the family?"

"What?!" I sputter. We–Scorpius, Blaine, and I– are currently walking out of a long session of Defense Against the Dark Arts. Students are all crowding in the hallway we are going through; some holding hands, others rushing to their next class, and most chatting with friends.

"When's Aaliyah meeting the family?" Blaine repeats, raising an eyebrow at me.

"Well… technically, she already knows my family," I point out. I haven't really thought about _the family_ yet. I mean I know they probably all want to me to 'properly' introduce Aaliyah to them, but I didn't and still don't know how to exactly do that. There's only one girlfriend that I have had let _the family_ meet and that is Katie, my fifth year girlfriend. That meeting wasn't pleasant to say the least.

"Yeah," he stretches the word like he already knew that. He then adds, "… but you still need to do it."

Scorpius chuckles at my slightly horrified face and Blaine smirks at me.

Letting out a breath, I say, "I guess I do."

"I would do it soon. Better to get it over it." Scorpius nudges me with his elbow knowingly. It is relaxing to know that someone knows what is actually going on. But him knowing also means another mouth that can spill the secret. And the definite worst part of Scorpius knowing is that he is right, like always, about arranging a meeting with the Weasley-Potter bunch soon.

I had been getting looks and glances from my family all week, especially Lily who narrows her eyes every time she sees me in the hallway. Knowing her, she is most likely mad that I hadn't told her about Aaliyah or still haven't informed her about how it is going between the two of us. What she doesn't know is that nothing is 'going on' between the two of us.

"I agree with Scorp. And what has it been …like two weeks?"

"Two and a half," I answer automatically. Wait, have I been keeping track? How had I not noticed that?

"Someone's been keeping count," Blaine teases and Scorpius gives me a look that reads, 'Really? You've been keeping count?'

"Shut up." I push Blaine half-heartedly and he stumbles into Scorpius.

"Whatever you say. I'm off to Muggle Studies. See you two later." Blaine waves a bye and heads off in the opposite direction Scorpius and I are supposed to go.

"I think you should tell him." I turn around to Scorpius calmly. I had known he would tell me this from the beginning. Usually when you tell one close friend, they feel guilty that you told them instead of another close friend. Probably a human instinct.

"You know I can't do that." We are already at the Charms corridor that is near a set of stairs that leads to the dungeons. The Charms corridor is one that is older looking than the rest of the corridors. It is covered with dust and has a fair share of ancient tapestries that no one dares to touch because of one, they aren't particularly pretty and two, who knows what touched them or what they contain.

"Why not?" No one else is here. The hallway is empty like I could have heard the little sound a pin makes when it drops.

Turning to him, I calmly voice, "Aaliyah already isn't happy that you are in on it and that she can't tell anyone she wants to tell. If two of my friends know, she'll be even madder."

Scorpius presses his fingers around his nose. "But.. I had already known before you even told her… that doesn't count."

I start making my way down the corridor again. Scorpius follows. "It's better if he doesn't know anyway."

"Maybe. When he does find out, then what?" Scorpius contemplates like the smart person he is.

"Then-" I pause, trying to think of the right answer, "… the truth."

He nods. The rest of the way to the dungeons is quiet. We don't say anything. The only sound is our shoes hitting the floor. When friends are silent most think they are in a fight or something, but with Scorpius and I, things are different. We are silent because we aren't people that like talking a lot all the time. We need silence in our lives so we can think things through. So we can be in our own heads for a second. It is better sometimes to say nothing than to say unnecessary somethings.

The winding staircase takes us to Potions as does the dark, eerie walls that are a little damp. Scorpius enters first. Looking around, I see that a lot of the seats are already taken. I motion Scorpius towards Aaliyah.

He shakes his head and whispers, "the seat next to her is already taken."

"I can see that." I roll my eyes, and crack a couple knuckles; a bad habit that I haven't managed to get rid of.

"Oh and what are you going to do? Ask the person to move?" asks Scorpius off-handedly. What he doesn't know is that I am going to do just that.

"Yeah." I shrug at him and pass tables 'til I get to Aaliyah's one. A Hufflepuff girl looks up at me and I smile as sweetly as I can.

"Can I sit here?" Her eyes widen and she nods her head like a puppet. She takes no time to move away to another seat.

Aaliyah narrows her eyes at me. "I can't believe you just did that." Not responding, I take the now empty seat next to her.

Taking out my Potions textbook, I swivel around to face her. "It's not like she's your friend anyway." Her eyes flash in what looks like annoyance.

"You don't know that."

"Don't I?" I inquire smugly. She doesn't say anything nor does she have the courage to face me. At the moment, Professor Regan decides to make an entrance. He is what fourth year girls call, "a very fit, young bloke" which is basically a nice way of saying, "I wouldn't mind doing him."

"Why does everyone like Regan again?" I mutter under my breath so Aaliyah can hear.

It takes her three seconds too long to answer, "Meaning, why do _the girls_ like him?" Aaliyah smirks at me with an amused look on her face.

"Yes, Aaliyah. Why do _the girls,_ such as yourself, like him?" A touch of sarcasm enters my voice and Aaliyah's face contorts into something else entirely. She now has this wicked grin on her face. Well, this can't be good.

She leans in deviously. "Because he's hot." She makes that one sentence of reasoning sound like a paragraph.

I lean in closer. "Last time I checked, I'm hotter."

She chuckles like I've said something silly. And let me tell you... I am _not_ silly.

"Professor Regan's a man. And last time I checked you aren't one." She leans out looking pleased with herself while I feel too lazy to come up with a comeback.

Half the period goes by with Regan trying to teach us the importance of Golpalott's Third Law and me being bored as hell. With nothing else to do, I start watching what my oh-so lovely peers are doing. Scorpius appears to be half asleep. Ryan and what's-her-face are snogging at the back of the classroom. A handful of students are playing footsie. Two guys are even leg wrestling. I shift my attention to the girl sitting next to me. Turns out my 'girlfriend' is trying hard not to be bored. Her eyes are determinedly focused on Regan's droning voice. Ugh. I really need to break that Ravenclaw habit of hers.

Grabbing a piece of parchment out of my bag, I write one word: _Family_. I pass it over to her. She glances at me and gives me a 'what the hell, I am trying to pay attention' look. Reading it, she scribbles something and slides it back.

 _What?_

Rolling my eyes I write, " _You have to meet my family_." While Regan makes Potions class more boring than it should be I might as well and take advantage of the time by telling Aaliyah about the meeting.

She reads it in a hurry and peers over at me. She seems shocked. Writing a response, she hands it back.

 _I already know your family._

I reckon I'm not the only one who doesn't want to do the family meeting. Scratching out a, " _You know what I mean_ ," I pass it to her.

It doesn't take long before the parchment is under my nose again.

 _And exactly what do you mean?_

Damn, she's stubborn. I take a quick glimpse at her. She is still looking at Regan, her hair shielding most of her face from sight. Her quill is in her hand and every couple seconds it hits the table. Maybe she is thinking? Sighing I write, " _Tomorrow at lunch._ " I may not be ecstatic about the idea of having lunch with my family and all but she is probably scared, nervous, and antsy. Closing my eyes briefly, I give it back.

She sees it. She blinks. She looks up at me, a mirror of plain uneasiness. And then Aaliyah does something I don't expect: she goes back to listening to Regan. No argument, no scowl, nothing.

I guess tomorrow's going to be quite a day.

Mornings … well they aren't as bad as they can be but when you have an alarm that sounds like a fucking rooster, it goes from okay to bad. And when you have a chirpy, morning-loving friend like I do, it goes from bad to worse.

"Don't you guys just love mornings?" sings aka Scorpius. I grumble in response and Blaine lets out a low growl. You see Blaine hates mornings with a burning passion. He literally abhors them. Mixing him and mornings is like mixing Scorpius and the Giant Squid, a very bad combination.

"Did you just growl at me, Blaine?" Scorpius places his hand on his heart, faking being hurt.

"Shut up." Blaine stops walking, half-asleep. Scorpius rolls his eyes and grabs Blaine's arm and pulls at it. Blaine shakes awake and slaps Scorpius's hand away. The later lets out a girly 'ow.' What great friends I have, don't you think?

"Stop being such a grumpy pants, Blaine." Did Scorpius just say 'grumpy pants? What are we? Three years old? "You're only in a bad mood because I woke you up when you were dreaming about your lady of love." I chuckle in amusement. Blaine has had a crush on this Ravenclaw chic since third year. Who even knows how he manages to like a girl for that long?

Blaine smacks Scorpius hard in the ribs, his cheeks becoming a tinge of red. Scorpius laughs seeing the expression on Blaine's face.

"You're only mad because I'm right." Blaine becomes even redder. These are the best times of the day... when Blaine blushes. That or when Scorpius gets caught staring at Rose. Oh, how my friends make fools of themselves on a daily basis.

I open the common room entrance and we all step out one by one. Scorpius and Blaine are still in a light argument as I come out. I'm about to tell them to drop the topic when a voice bounces of the wall.

"Albus." All three of us whip are heads around to see… Aaliyah. Well, that's unexpected. Scorpius averts his eyes and Blaine coughs as if it would break the awkwardness that is passing around us. A job well done guys. Not.

I get out a lame, "Hey."

She gives me a tight-lipped smile. "Can I speak to you?"

"Um… sure," I say clearing my throat. I motion to Blaine and Scorpius to leave and they both give me a nod and make their way to breakfast at the Great Hall.

She takes a slow step closer and all I can notice is how her right hand is fidgeting. Hmm… am I that scary?

"So," I start off, leaning on my toes to get a closer look at her. It is a safe move since she doesn't shrink back or run away screaming.

Her grey eyes lock onto mine and they show this emotion that I can't put my hand on. "Uhh… I was wondering if-"

"If?" I ask, actually wanting her to continue.

She blinks once and says calmly, "If you can delay having lunch with your family."

We stand there as if someone pushed the pause button. I note that she doesn't seem as nervous as before. It's like it took her only a couple seconds to assemble herself, to rearrange the emotions on her face. Interesting.

I take the time to look over my shoulder before responding. " That's the thing…" I grimace and then continue, "I can't."

She isn't angry. Instead, she tilts her head to the side, inspecting me in away. Did she think I was lying? "Well, why not?"

"Because." I swear I'm the worst at coming up with good reasons.

"Because?" Her lips twitch upwards and she shakes her head, glancing down at her feet like she couldn't believe I said that. "That has got to be the worst comeback you've come up with."

"Give me a break. I'm a little slow in the mornings." I shrug it off even though she just insulted my ability to be both witty and manipulative which are the two things I am best at.

"Now that's an excuse." She passes by me and starts making her way down the hallway, expecting me to follow which I end up doing.

I easily match her stride. "I still can't move the lunch thing."

She turns to me and inquires hesitantly, "You sure you can't move it?"

Sighing, I focus on the path ahead of me. "Sorry, Aaliyah," I mutter, not able to face her. It is an odd characteristic I have: not being able to say "sorry" when looking at that person. I always have had to put my attention somewhere else or I couldn't bring myself to do it. Some probably pity me that I can't say "sorry," but then it can be a perk in some ways 'cause if you don't look at the person, they can't look into your soul.

Aaliyah lets out a laugh. Hearing her laugh is still a new action to me, one that I will hopefully get familiar with. "Albus Potter is saying sorry to me?"

"Don't be so shocked." I peer at her sideways to see that she has a full smile on her face.

"So does that mean I'll be getting more apologies from you then?" Her tone is a teasing one, one that doesn't bother me in the slightest.

"Don't be expecting that much from me." A smirk comes on my face on its own and Aaliyah rolls her eyes.

We continue the rest of the way together, witty banter passing back and forth. She stops right before the Great Hall entrance. "Thanks."

"For what?" I inquire, clueless.

"For not being a total jerk so far." With that she enters the Great Hall, leaving me to ponder on what that meant.

Boy, is this going to be a long day.

After double Herbology and Alchemy, I find myself waiting outside of Ancient Runes for _my supposed girlfriend_. It still feels like a change… something someone has altered in my life 'cause in my head it's weird to call Aaliyah _my girlfriend._ It's like it hasn't sunken in that she is infact _my girlfriend_ , well kind of.

I'm distracted from my thoughts when suddenly students come rushing out of Charms. Aaliyah is one of the last ones out. She is talking to one of the Ravenclaw Beaters. I think his name is Isaiah. Or is it Ian?

She doesn't spot me yet so I stay where I'm standing a bit longer than I should. I'm stalling. And I know that. But... how could I go up to her now and remind her that, "Hey, it's time for lunch. Now your world is going to come crashing the fuck down." I mean how do you exactly say that nicely?

Aaliyah doesn't hate my family… I'm pretty sure of that. But not all my family likes her or gives a fuck about her really. And that is about enough to make things uncomfortable.

Cracking my stiff neck, I stride towards the two. Her back is to me, but her friend seems to get a clear view of me. He taps her on the shoulder and points in my direction. Doesn't he know that pointing is rude? And here I thought Ravenclaws are smart.

Aaliyah looks up and gives me a failure of a smile. When I reach her, she takes a step away from me. Isaiah notices and gives a curious glance to the two of us. "Nice to see you again," I remark politely, even though I'm clearly lying.

"Same," he admits through a half grimace, half smile.

"Well, Aaliyah and I are heading to lunch."

"Same here," he repeats, craning his neck to search for someone.

"Okay then. We'll be going," I finish off before grabbing Aaliyah's arm and dragging her through the mass of students heading to the Great Hall.

"Let go of me!" she snaps, prying my fingers off of her.

"Calm down," I advise, not giving her a glance. I'm too busy scanning the students for a mane of red hair. Now where is Lily? Rose should have been here too. Maybe they are already in there.

"Who are you looking for?" she disrupts, trying to follow my line of vision.

"Who do you think I'm looking for?" I charge back. I catch a glimpse of red hair. I rotate in a circle. Hmm… maybe it was an illusion.

"Your cousins," she states. Her voice comes out in a stale tone like the color gray compared to the rest of the rainbow. Well, isn't she enthusiastic!

"Do you have a thing against my cousins, _Aaliyah_?" I inquire innocently. I check to see if she is scowling. She isn't. Instead she has this thoughtful look drawn on her face. She watches me staring at her. The noise around us grows louder and yet she doesn't flinch or appear bothered by it.

I keep staring, waiting for her to show some sign of unease. She doesn't. Instead, she keeps watching.

Then, getting tired by my obvious surveying, she shrugs so I would stop observing her. Smart move.

I grasp her hand and push my way through the bustling students. I can feel her squeezing my hand tightly as if she thinks I might let go.

When we are finally at the entrance, I let go. She lets out a sigh of relief. And I breathe in the fresh smell of delicious food.

"That was-"

"Aggravating? Unpleasing? Loud?"

"Actually, I was going to say not as bad as it could have been," she corrects, a smirk etched on her face. That's when I notice how different her smirk is from the Potter smirk, and the Weasley smirk, and the Malfoy smirk. It isn't patronizing or deviously cunning. It is just a smirk. One that is teasing and light. Maybe even sweet.

"Well, that is one of the day by day battles of Hogwarts: getting to lunch," I announce.

"Yup. Who knew getting through hungry teenagerss would be that hard?" she thinks aloud.

"Not our parents that's for sure."

She laughs. And I try to smile.

"Ready for this?" I look straight at the Gryffindor table. A group of tall students sit there. Half of them are muscular and can beat you easily at quidditch. Almost all of the females are sassy red-heads. And all of them have Weasley blood running through them.

"Ready as I'll ever be."

"So not at all, then?"

"Exactly."

* * *

"Hey, looks like Alby has finally come out of hiding! Exactly what has made you change your mind, brother dearest?" my sister exclaims, a flair of drama in her voice. Lily's brown eyes blink up at me in curiosity and humour. I roll my eyes and take a seat across from her and at the same time pull Aaliyah down with me.

Rose flashes her eyes at me in annoyance and I don't respond. She's right next to Fred, who's gazing at Aaliyah intently. She doesn't giving him any attention though. Instead, she's smiling at James and he's smiling at her back.

"So…" comes a voice from next to me. I turn to Louis and he's grinning from ear to ear. He's always been a sweet and cheery one but not mischievous. He extends his hand at Aaliyah, stretching his arm across me. "I'm Louis. Nice to meet you."

Aaliyah quirks an eyebrow at him in a light-hearted manner. "I already know you."

His hand still stays in the air. He thinks about it for a moment before saying, "Well, I know you too... but I do the same introduction for every family members' girlfriend or boyfriend."

She smiles and shakes his hand. Lily rolls her eyes at Louis and mouths, 'really?' He shrugs in response.

I guess this could have been worse.

"Anyway… Aaliyah, I'm Lily which you already know since you used to come to our house like all the time, but now that you are my _brother's_ boyfriend, I'm your sister-in-law." I spit the juice I was drinking out of my mouth. Did she just say _sister-in-law_? Like as in _married_?

I turn to look at Aaliyah and she does the same, her eyes wide in shock. I look around the table. Louis is glancing off, pretending he never heard that. Rose looks like someone just spit in her face. Fred has a look on his face I can't describe. And James… James has an amused smile displayed on his face.

"Umm… why would you say that?" Aaliyah asks, trying to smile politely.

"Oh you know, Al's never one to get girls," insert my 'hey' outburst here, "and he never, I mean _never_ , let's anyone meet the family so… you're probably going to end up being his wife someday." Lily says it so casually like it is an everyday outburst, like she's used to calling my girlfriends my _wives_. She takes a sip from her goblet and sets it down. She glances around at all of us before saying, "I was kidding, sheesh. What does it take for a girl to joke around here." She shakes her head and I hear Aaliyah letting out a relieved breath.

At the moment, Aiden joins us, taking a seat next to Aaliyah.

"Where have you been mate?" James speaks up.

Aiden lets out a breath of exhaustion and replies, "Blackwell held me back to explain part of my homework." He immediately starts piling up his plate and everyone stares at him. He takes notice of this and his eyes land on Aaliyah after some time. He grins. "Hey, Aaliyah!" He squeezes her shoulders. I wonder how well they know each other. I mean I know she has to know him since he's one of Fred and James' best mates. "How's my cousin doing?"

Aaliyah's shoulders relax a tad, tension easing with someone not from my family present. "Ellie's doing fine."

"Good. Has Ellie told you about how she…" I tune their conversation out and turn to see that Louis, Lily, and James are watching me expectantly.

"What?" I ask. Lily rolls her eyes, James sighs, and Louis has a concerned expression.

"Don't give me that, Albus Potter," Lily threatens in a hurried whisper.

This time it's my time to roll my eyes. The three of them lean in, creating a huddle of four.

" _Aaliyah_ , Albus!" she scolds and then looks between James and I, "Out of the two of you, I kind of expected Aaliyah and James but you and Aaliyah? What were you thinking?" A mixture of emotions crosses Lily's face: irritation, confusion, and… worry. She smacks me on the arm.

"Lily," James voices, "you're not helping." He pinches his nose in maybe frustration or anger… I'm not sure which one. "Al… why didn't you tell us?"

Lily looks exasperated and before I can answer she adds, "..we would have understood." Her tone is soft and sad. as if she feels betrayed that I didn't tell her anything.

I reach out and touch her hand tentatively. "Look… I'm sorry," as I say this I stare into my sister's bronze eyes, "Okay? I am. And… I didn't tell you because… because I didn't want everyone find out so quickly. You know how it is with Weasleys. You don't even need to tell them and the next morning they all know." She chuckles knowingly and reaches over to hug me and I hug her back. I feel bad for not being honest with her. Not only about Aaliyah and I, but James and Gabby, and what exactly the gossip of Hogwarts can do and all the rest of the burden we all carry.

She lets go and Louis takes his turn to talk. "Have you talked to Fred yet?" Right when he says it, we all peer up to look at said person. Aaliyah's still talking to Aiden and Fred…. Fred's trying hard to not to look up at her, to not take notice of her. No, he's pushing his food around on his plate.

"He came up to me during Quidditch practice." I'm honest this time. It's something I don't need to hide.

"And?" Louis urges.

"And he wants me to let go of her." James and Louis aren't shocked by my answer but Lily is.

"He would ask that?" she whispers, confused.

We all don't say anything for a while. They all seem to be reflecting on the information they just received. I take the time to make observations on them. Lily's flaming ginger hair has gotten a tad longer since the end of summer. James' frames are starting to slip down his nose. Louis's light blonde hair is more disheveled than the usual perfect. The past year or two has taken a slight toll on them. They all care about Fred and are close to him someway or another… so when they found out he cheated on Aaliyah, they weren't sure what to say or do. Should they be angry? Should they take their cousin's side and stick with him? Or yell and scold and shun him? In end, they ignored what happened… except for James that is. He couldn't just ignore it, not when he is close to Aaliyah, but he does still stick by Fred (but he sticks by Aaliyah too).

They all have a mature look to them now, one that was nonexistent a few years ago. It is a wonder what time can do to you.

I'm shaken from my thoughts when a warm hand comes on top of mine. Its Lily's. "Take care of her, Al." She stares at me and then our hands. Remorse and regret shadows the angles of her face. She wants me to take care of Aaliyah… not for only her, but for all of them… so they can have closure, so they can feel less guilty about how they didn't stand by Aaliyah when Fred screwed her over. I nod and Louis smiles a sad smile and James nods at me in approval.

They all lean out simultaneously. I take my attention away from them and my eyes immediately land on Rose, who's watching me. Her eyes are narrowed but she's not mad at me. No, she's mad at herself for not stopping me. Fred glances up at me finally. His dark eyes reflect loss but he doesn't seem bitter about my decision. Not now, not today.

I then glance next to me at Aaliyah. She's staring at me too. I look into her gray eyes and I don't see anything. No happiness, no sadness, no hurt, no anger… just nothing. Her eyes lower to my hand and her fingers curl around mine and she leaves it there.

She doesn't look back at me. Her eyes are now on James and they chat like old friends (which they kind of are). I go back to my food but I can't eat. There is a pit in my stomach, a gaping hole as if it is there to send me a message. I shake my head, ignoring it. I look to my left again and I a couple of feet away I see a blonde keeping an eye on me. Her deep blue eyes pierce through me even from there. Her lips twist in dissatisfaction but she nods at me. Next to her, a head peers out. Dominique, Louis's sister and another one of my many cousins, waves. She then points in Aaliyah's direction and then gives me wink and a thumbs up. I chuckle to myself and Gabby rolls her eyes at Dominique's antics but a smile pulls at her lips.

"So Aaliyah, would you like to hear about the time Albus proposed to Aunt Audrey's sister when he was five?" Lily asks. I whip my head around at her and she has playful, cunning smirk decorating her face. Oh, gosh.

"No," I straight out say, putting down that idea immediately. James chuckles and even Rose snorts into her pumpkin juice.

Aaliyah has a thoughtful, curious look on her face. She tugs at our intertwined hands, a sign that she's going to say 'yes.' _Oh no._

"Sure," she agrees. And the story comes out and while it does I whisper into Aaliyah's ear.

"You okay?"

She glances at me briefly. "Yeah," she breathes out, "I think I am."

* * *

The clock strikes 11:10 pm. I make my way to the door. The door swings open, I step out and shut it. I climb the stairs down as quietly as I can. When I reach the landing, I'm surprised by how there is no one there. Weird.

Exiting the common room, I navigate my way to the Gryffindor Common Room. The moon shines through the windows and the walls are dark and eerie. The floor is hard as always but also cold. Torches light up part of the way but most of them are out by now.

Tonight there is a Weasley Night Gathering. One that Aaliyah is invited too. I don't even know when is the last time she ever went to one, probably one way back at the beginning of her fifth year.

Weasley Night Gatherings have always been a tradition. We hold them from time to time. Usually the oldest cousins (currently Fred, James, Molly, and Dominique) decide which nights they are held. They are what you expect them to be: a time where the whole family spends time with each other by playing games (sometimes including alcohol), spilling secrets, catching each other up on gossip, and etc, etc. We are usually allowed to invite a person (each of us) but this time it is only _the family_ and Aaliyah.

Before I can comprehend, I'm standing at the Fat Lady's Portrait. She's snoring. Very loudly, might I add.

I cough. She continues to sleep. I cough louder. She gingerly wakes up and squints her eyes at me. "Password," she yawns.

"Forti Animo." The portrait swings open and I step inside. I already feel warmer, heat rising up my body.

In my opinion, the Gryffindor Common Room looks better at night. The bright reds and shades of gold are more muted and hurt the eyes less. The fire still roars too, illuminating the center of the room. And right by that fire is Lily, James, Dominique, Louis, and Aaliyah. I come up behind Aaliyah and wrap my arms around her waist. She's surprised at first and but when she realises it is only me, her shoulders loosen up.

"Did you get here okay?" I whisper. She nods in a yes, eyes watching the fire dance.

"Well, aren't you two cute," a feminine voice says from beside me, punching my arm playfully. Aaliyah steps back closer to me in shock. We both turn to see Dominique, her pale, green eyes shining at us. Her long, straight, blonde hair cascades down her back and her smile seems genuine.

I've always liked Dom. She's a sweet person for the most part and she doesn't judge much. I mean yeah, she is girly and all but hey, she was raised by Aunt Fleur. What else can you expect?

Aaliyah gives her a shy smile. "So have you managed to make Al blush yet?" Dom asks Aaliyah, reaching over and pinching my cheek. I slap her hand away and rub the spot. It hurts. This only makes her smile even more. "So have you?" she asks again.

Aaliyah shakes her head in a no. "Well, trust me, you will. It's hard to make him blush at first but once you can, he'll just keep blushing all the time. Isn't that right, Alby?" She pinches my cheek. _Again._ And it hurts. _Again._ Damn the woman's nails.

"Shut up," I grumble and this makes Aaliyah smile once more. She's kind of cute when she smiles. She should probably do that more often.

Right then, Molly rushes in. I let go of Aaliyah and step back. Molly sees me and gives me a hug which I return. Her flaming red hair hurts my eyes but it is a familiar sight. She lets go of me after a couple of minutes and smiles at Aaliyah sheepishly. "Sorry I wasn't at lunch. I was at the library and lost track of time," she apologises to the both of us before going off to talk to James.

Following Molly is Lucy. She completely ignores me and goes straight for Aaliyah, hugging her from behind. "I'm so, so, so sorry about missing lunch. Today was a Ravenclaw lunch day where I sit with my friends from my own house." Lucy lets go of Aaliyah and Aaliyah rotates to give her a one-armed hug.

"It's fine. You're here now, aren't you?" Next to James, Aaliyah knows Lucy well too. James is her best friend/childhood friend, Lucy is one of her good friends, she gets along with Lily, and kind of knows Dom since Dom is Gabby's bestie. Other than that though, Aaliyah doesn't know the Weasleys all too well (except for Fred that is, ex and all).

"Oh, so she gets a hug and I don't even get a 'hey'?" I complain jokingly, crossing my arms over my chest.

Lucy comes over and squeezes me around the abdomen. She's short one being only five foot three inches. Her hair isn't like the rest of the family. It's strawberry blonde so instead of getting golden locks like Victoire and Dom or a ginger color like Lily, she got stuck in between.

It doesn't take long before she bounces off to greet the rest. Being in Slytherin and all I don't see my family as much as the others see each other. You see, I don't really eat lunch with them and the only ones I have a chance of having classes with are Rose and Louis. From time to time, I see them in the hallway but that's basically it. There is always winter holidays and summer break though.

I count off everyone. There's only four more left: Rose, Hugo, Fred, and Roxy.

It doesn't take long before the sound of stomping feet comes from the staircase that leads to the boys dorm and out comes Hugo wearing a childish grin.

"Hey, guys!" he bounces. Seeing Aaliyah and I, he adds, "Al, Aaliyah!"

He comes in our direction, ginger hair sticking out a tad. He's still at his lanky, every-which-way stage; his face still young and less refined and his growth spurt still going on, pulling him up.

"So, why weren't you at lunch?" I inquire, crossing my arms over my chest again.

"Oh, you know things to do, people to meet," he answers, the grin still on his face.

"What things?"

"Now, now Al. That's for me to know and you to never find out." He starts to make his way to Lily, beaming at Aaliyah when he passes her.

"He's getting more devious," I voice.

"I think it's cute," Aaliyah says, a fond look in her eyes. I quirk an eyebrow at her and she mirrors me. I then eye her up and down, taking a look at what she's wearing. Granted, everyone comes to the gatherings in their pajamas or night wear but Aaliyah's PJs are what I call boring. Flannel PJ bottoms and a plain, white, long-sleeved top… barely any skin… how innocent.

A smirk comes before I ask it to, "Nice PJs." I whisper it into her ear so only she could hear.

She glares at me and my smirk just grows wider. "Exactly how innocent are you?" I question, curious if she will answer or not. I grab the hem of her shirt and pull her closer.

She leans her head in. "And exactly how do you know I'm innocent?"

I press my lips together, answer playing on my tongue. "Just an assumption," I finally say.

"Well then, we shouldn't be making assumptions, should we?" Her eyes stare at me through her lashes and I chuckle.

"I guess not," I contemplate.

She puts some space between us. Three minutes later I feel her eyes on me. "What?" She keeps observing me, her mouth twisting in consideration.

"Maybe if you stick around long enough, I'll show you my wild side."

* * *

 _11:30 pm_

Everyone's here. Excluding Rose that is since she has prefect duties tonight. We're about to start when Roxanne tugs at my sleeve. Her dark eyes already asking many questions.

"Aaliyah, you won't mind if I steal him away for a minute, right?" Roxanne doesn't wait for an answer since she's already dragging me to a corner where no one can hear us.

"What are you doing with her?!" she hisses.

"She's my girlfriend. What do you think I'm doing with her?" I pry her hands off of my sleeve. She glares at me, not satisfied with my answer.

"She's Fred's ex!" she whisper-yells.

"So?" I ask somewhat annoyed.

"Why would you date your cousin's ex?" Her expression isn't happy. Her stance gives off anger.

"He's over her," I lie.

"And how would you know that?" she counters, brown curls getting in her eyesight.

"Because… I don't know if you've noticed Roxanne but _he_ cheated on _her_. Not to mention that it has been like a year." My tone is apathetic, trying to not let any sort of anger in it.

"That doesn't mean he's over her. Look at him." Her eyes motion in the direction of her brother. He stands next to James, stealing a glance at Aaliyah occasionally. Even from here, I see how he still has feelings for her. I shake my head and focus on Roxanne.

"Roxy… I know you and your brother are close. I know you care about him. I do too. But what he did to Aaliyah was _wrong_ and you know it was _wrong_. He's had time, a years worth. And the only reason he's not getting over her is because he doesn't want to. For whichever reason, I don't know. But you can't hold it against Aaliyah. I know you liked her… and you still do. And I know you care about me too so… please, learn to accept this. Please." Her stance softens and she looks longingly at Fred before staring back at me.

Her eyes fixate on Aaliyah. Her eyes fill with regret and tenderness. "What if she's using you?" she sighs.

"She isn't," I reassure.

Roxanne nods and looks back at me, her eyes downcast. "I just want him to be okay, to be happy."

I wrap my arms around her. "I know. We all do." I peck the top of her head and we stand there for a few moments, feeling for Fred.

* * *

 _11:50 pm_

"Fred, truth or dare?" Dominique asks when the bottle lands on the burly fellow across from me.

He doesn't take long before replying, "Truth." He usually goes for a dare.

"Hmm… have you ever fell in love?" Dominique questions, probably not expecting a serious answer. I don't think any of us do but we end up getting a lot more.

"Yeah..once." His amber eyes meet Aaliyah's smoke coloured ones.

Everyone stops and watches them before Aaliyah averts her eyes elsewhere. I hear her swallow and I reach out and touch her hand. It's cold. She clutches mine tightly, her breathing hitching a tad. I squeeze hers back and the action calms her… the knowledge of someone there calms her.

"Okay…" Dom tries to break the tension. She spins the bottle once more. It lands on Aaliyah. _Well, isn't this just dandy._

"Truth or dare?" Fred rumbles, eyes burning into Aaliyah's head.

"Truth," she breathes out, biting her lip.

"What," I hold my breath, "is your favorite colour?" Aaliyah's eyes flash up and again they are staring at each other.

A minute later she says, "Green." She adds on to her response, "Not green like the forest but soft sea green. Like the ocean, calm and moving."

Fred nods his head shakingly. I squeeze her hand once more and she squeezes mine back.

* * *

 _12:30 am_

"Has anyone read Witch Weekly's latest issue?" Dominique asks to no one in particular.

"Nope," answers Molly.

"I haven't had the time to. Is it any good?" chimes Lucy from her place on the floor.

"I read part of it." This comes from Roxanne who is still rooted next to her brother. Sibling loyalty goes a long way, I guess.

"I have," Lily chirps, a smile on her face.

"It was good, wasn't it?" Dominique looks down at Lily from her sprawled out position on the couch.

"Did you take the test?" Lily's eyes bounce up and down in pleasure and excitement.

"Yeah. I got the second one, what did you get?"

"The fifth one."

"What test is this?" Molly's tone is a curious one.

"What type of guy you would end up with," Dom and Lily say at the same time.

"Interesting."

"I have a copy right here." Dom waves the magazine in her hand. The girls sans Aaliyah huddle around her. I roll my eyes at their antics. Girls will be girls, I guess.

I tune them out 'til I hear a familiar name. "Aaliyah, do you want to go first?"

Aaliyah looks up from her conversation with Louis and I wait for her reaction. She bites her lip, unsure.

"Go on," I whisper, nodding my head toward the group. She lets out a sigh before standing up to go over.

"What do you think she'll get?" Louis asks me, pulling at the carpet.

I shrug. "We'll have to wait to find out."

A couple of minutes later the group of girls burst out into giggles. Aaliyah's cheeks tinge a light shade of pink. She slowly makes her way back and plops down next to me.

"So?"

"So what?"

"What did you get?" I incline my head in query.

"You really want to know?"

"Yeah, kind of."

"The sweet and sensitive guy," she says, a sort of smile on her face.

And all I can think of is... I hope she does end up with that type of guy.

The sweet and sensitive one.

* * *

 _1:00 am_

When I walk her back to the Ravenclaw dormitory I only say one thing.

"You okay?"

"Yeah," her lips twitch upwards, "I think I am."

* * *

 **A/N: So I took a risk and did a lot of short scenes at the end from different times. I really hoped it worked and didn't seem confusing.**

 **So, is Albus becoming *gasp* softer? And any thoughts on the Wotter family?**

 **Feel free to drop a review and thanks for reading!**


	7. Aaliyah: The Party

"So sis, how's it going?" the dirty blonde haired boy sitting in front of me asks, a dimpled smile gracing his face.

Currently, I'm sat at one of the couches in the Gryffindor common room. Now, you're probably wondering how I ended up here of all places. I'll explain: you see, I was lounging in the Ravenclaw Common Room with Annie, coming up with a fool proof plan to get Ellie and Isaac together, when it hit me. 'It' being that I hadn't informed my brother about my relationship with Albus yet. Obviously, he mostly likely knew already with Ronan spreading it around the school like wildfire, but since he's related to me in all, he's supposed to 'officially' hear it from me. Thus, why I'm here, in the common room where the most brave and chivalrous (and arrogant) students of Hogwarts live.

"Oh, you know the usual," I answer.

He nods before asking, "So nothing you want to tell me about?"

"Well, there actually is something."

"And that is?"

"Oh… you know… I've a new boyfriend." I don't glance up at him as I tell him this. Instead, I pick at the fringed, golden-coloured pillow laying beside me.

"And his name is?" I hear him ask, even though he already knows the answer.

I stare up at him and sigh, "Oh come on, Daniel! You already know who he is."

Daniel shrugs. "Just because I hear it from other people doesn't necessarily mean it's true. I want to hear it from you."

I peer down at my fingers before staring up at him again. "Yeah, sorry about that," I voice, cringing at the thought of how long he's probably waited. It's been around one, two… three weeks already! I cringe again at the realisation.

He, however, doesn't appear to be mad. Instead, he comes and sits next to me and grabs my hand. His gray-blue eyes radiate warmth and I can't help but smile. Daniel took more after my sister than me, meaning he inherited more from my Mum. He has the same blonde hair, though a few shades darker, and his eyes are gray like mine (and Dad's) but they are bluer around the irises. The two of them even have the same smile, not including the dimples, and they both got placed in the same house. But compared to her, he is closer to me. I think it has to do with the age.

"So... is he treating you right?" he questions after a few minutes, his lips pressed together in seriousness.

I laugh at his attempt to sound protective (which he actually isn't). "Yeah. Why wouldn't he?"

"Just asking." We fall into a silence once again before I ask him the question that's been nagging me since I came to tell him.

"Why aren't you judging me?"

"Do I have a reason to judge you?" he inquires, a crease forming between his eyebrows in confusion.

"Oh, I don't know..maybe cause I'm dating the cousin of my ex? Or that I'm dating James's brother? Or that I'm dating someone who everyone thinks I never knew? Or that I'm-"

He cuts off my rambling though. "Aaliyah, stop!"

I close my mouth and look at him.

"It's okay. You don't need to explain it to me." He seems genuine and understanding which is weird since no one else seems to be accepting of Albus and I... so why would Daniel?

He reads my mind and explains, "Look," he squeezes my hand with his soft one, "it's your decision on who you want to be with, whether that is your ex's cousin or whatever. Albus appears to be a nice guy. And as long as he doesn't hurt you, I don't mind. Once again, it's your decision on who you want to be with. No one else's. And if they judge you, screw them. It's not their life, it's yours."

I'm shocked at first and then, when I come to my senses, I hug him tightly. He hugs me back but after a few seconds he jokes, "Aaliyah, you can let go now… I have a reputation to uphold you know." I let go and roll my eyes as I do.

I sit back and inspect him. He's been growing, but I can tell he has far to go. He's roughly 5'5" with shoulders that are getting a little broader.

"How is a thirteen year old this smart? Are you aging too fast or something?" I tease, ruffling his hair.

Daniel swats my hand away. "I'm fourteen. And I'm not aging, I'm just a bit more mature than other boys my age." His dimples peek out, even though he is trying to keep a straight face, and I grin.

"So… do you have anyone I need to know about?" I blink at him innocently and he takes that as a cue to jump off the couch; but before he can run out, I grab his hand and drag him back next to me. "Nuh-uh, not so fast little guy."

"I'm not that little," Daniel protests, but not in a whiney way.

"You're a third year, Daniel. Of course you're little." Daniel rolls his eyes at this statement. but I can't help notice him sliding farther from me.

"I can see you getting away. Come on, let's hear it," I say excitedly. My little brother may or may not have his first crush, how can I not want to know who she is?

He scratches his head before mumbling, "I'm not sure if I like her like that yet."

"That's not true." Yet it is since his eyes shine genuine of it. "Oh."

"Yeah," he agrees.

"Well… tell me when you find out, yeah?" My voice is soft and he nods, a smile tugging at his lips again. He stands, pecks my cheek, and walks out of the common room.

Hmm… that went well enough.

Bored, my eyes wander around the room. The grand window lets way too much light in and only a handful of the crimson coaches are occupied. The fireplace still has its flame burning orange/yellow (seriously, it's never known to be out) and the maroon rugs are all covering the wooden floors. Out of all the common rooms, this one is the coziest, but the color scheme can get overwhelming at times. After some a while, my eyes land on a familiar dark-haired seventh-year and before I know it, I've already made it halfway across the room to sit in the armchair across from him.

He doesn't notice me till a few minutes later. James gives me a grin before setting his book down.

"Since when do you read?" James has never been the bookworm type. He tries to avoid books as much as possible. The only reason he knows where the school library is is because of yours truly.

"I don't. But it's a Quidditch book so I thought I would give it a shot."

"Since when did you give any book a shot?" I further question.

He shrugs. "Well, Gabby thought I would like it."

I raise a poised eyebrow at him. "Aren't you two supposed to staying away from each other after the break up?"

"We are, but that doesn't mean I'm not friends with her." He gets a weird look in his eyes and I narrow my eyes at him in suspicion.

"That's it?"

"Yeah. What else would be between us?"

"Okay," I draw out, still not believing him. Yeah… there is definitely something going on there that I don't know about. I've been around James for so long that I can tell when he isn't telling me the whole truth. But then, maybe he isn't telling me because he isn't sure himself.

It doesn't take long before he brings up the subject he's been wanting to ask me about for some time.

"So… Albus," he starts, leaning in as if to hear some dirty little secret. I honestly still don't get why everybody wants to know what's up with Albus? Do they want to hear some cute story on how I have always had a crush on him and he has finally noticed me and asked me out and I enthusiastically said yes? 'Cause that is way far off from what actually happened.

But the thing with James is… he has a right to know. His childhood friend is dating his brother. That has to be a shocker, right?

"Can we not talk about this?" I beg. You never know, he may just forget about the subject if I go down on my knees and hold his feet and everything.

"Not if you don't want to." I am about to sigh and shout a huge 'thank you' when he adds, "But you know me Aaliyah. I'm curious." He pouts at me and his hazel eyes look so tortured and sincere that I give in. I really need to work on my restraining skills, don't I?

"Fine… what do you want to know?"

He tosses me a devious grin. Yeah, I'm definitely going to regret this. "Exactly how did Ms. Aaliyah Herseth get involved with someone like my brother?"

Yup, already regretting this.

"Um… what do you mean by that?" I ask, trying to buy myself some time. Maybe I should go with the 'I've had a crush on him since I was seven' story? Nah, too cliched. 'I like bad boys?' Nope, he'll never believe that and Albus isn't a hundred-percent bad boy.

"As in he isn't really your type." The statement doesn't come out mean. It comes out concerned and… it is true, very true. But then what is my type? Do I even have a type?

"Well then what is my type?" Honestly, I am curious. I always thought and still think that I don't have a specific type.

He takes one of my hands and flips it over to see my palm. Then, he clasps both of his hands around mine. "Hmm… smart, funny, and.."

I wait for the last word. And when he says it, he looks me in the eyes and breathes, "..sweet." Letting go of my hand, he leans back, satisfied with himself.

Smart makes sense. I haven't ever been a big fan of guys who can't think with their own brains.

Funny. Who doesn't want someone who's funny? I mean, unless you are a stick in the mud that is.

Sweet… that one I'm not sure of. I mean yeah I got that in my test results for this Witch Weekly magazine thing I did with the Weasleys but… sweet? Sweet guys are good, sometimes really good. However, I never feel myself looking for ahem… what you call sweetness.

"Sweet? Really?" I voice, confused and intrigued a tad.

"Yup."

"Are you saying that your brother isn't sweet?" I ask, amused.

"Al, sweet?" Snorting, he grins. "Putting Al and sweet in the same sentence is like putting me and ugly in a sentence. Not possible."

I laugh and his lips twitch upwards. This is how it is supposed to be between friends: laughter, the occasional joke or two, and the free conversation.

I get why Albus doesn't want many people to know what is really going on between us. It's only Albus, Scorpius, and I but that doesn't keep me from wanting to tell James, Gabby, Annie, Seth, Ellie, Daniel, and Isaac.

They wouldn't agree with what we are doing and I can't say I blame them, but we don't have room for more road blocks. We just don't.

"I guess that means you aren't my type then, huh?" I joke.

"Aaliyah, I thought you would have learned by now that I am everybody's type. No matter what they say, they are attracted to my charm." His eyes twinkle in joy.

"Even McGonagall?""

"Especially McGonagall," he nods in emphasis. I shake my head at his silliness.

For a while, I don't say anything and he doesn't either. James watches me with his hazel eyes and I stare at the pattern of the rug underneath my feet.

"You are okay, right?" His tone is cautious and caring.

I nod before looking up at him. "I'm fine, James."

He nods at my answer. "He's actually not a bad person."

"Who?" I'm confused about who he's talking about.

"Al."

"James, I'm pretty sure I know that he's a good person," I reassure, still slightly confused. Why is James telling me this?

"I'm just making sure." His copper eyes burn into mine and all I can do is incline my head in a yes. Is he trying to tell me something?

"Anyway, I have to go. Quidditch practice and all. I'll see you later." He waves a bye at me before making his way out.

However, I still can't shake the feeling off that he was trying to tell me something, something I couldn't see.

* * *

 **-THE RONAN DAILY-**

Hogsmeade Confusion?

The recent Hogsmeade visit was quite peculiar, don't you think? (And no I am not talking about the fact that Madame Puddifoot slipped up and made her napkins purple instead of pink.) The visit is one that is right before Halloween. Usually students are seen buying costumes, or buying Creepy Crawlies and Puking Pastilles to scare at this time of year.

Any guesses on who didn't make an appearance at Hogsmeade? Why, none other than Aaliyah Herseth! And Albus Potter… hmm, he was spotted with Scorpius Malfoy as usual. According to my calculations, they've been dating for almost three weeks so why is it that they weren't in our favorite village, hand-in-hand like most couples? Have they already hit rock bottom that quickly? And does this mean they won't be at the Halloween party together?

(dated five days ago)

* * *

"Aaliyah!" The shout of my name comes from behind me. I abruptly stop and turn around.

I'm on the first floor, and currently in the middle of what looks like the corridor near the Transfiguration room. The walls are decorated with different color tapestries ranging from purple to yellow and hanging on top of them are a handful of portraits. A couple of them are alert and staring down at Albus (the person who called my name) while the rest are dozed off.

Albus catches up to me in a few quick strides and from there we start walking, our pace matching each others. I look him up and down; his cheeks have a tinge of pink and his hair is more disheveled than usual. His breathing is a bit ragged but is calming to a more normal beat. He must have run all the way over here from somewhere.

"So where are you heading?" he finally asks. His hands are stuffed into the pockets of his trousers, not in a nervous way but in a casual way.

"Ravenclaw Tower," I answer, shifting my books from my left arm to my right.

He notices this and his eyes spark up at me. "Do you want me to carry those for you?"

I tilt my head back in wonder and suspicion. Albus Potter asking to carry my books? Well, that's not usual. "Why would you want to do that?"

He shrugs, not affected that I called him out on his offer. "Isn't that what boyfriends do?"

"Yes but not you," I answer truthfully.

He comes to a halt and I do the same. He glances down at his feet before focusing on me. His emerald eyes shine in what looks like curiosity. "Are you saying I'm not a good boyfriend, Aaliyah?" Albus nudges me with his elbow and I roll my eyes.

"No, I'm saying that you aren't the type to carry someone else's books."

"And how would you know that?" he questions, an amused expression on his face. I can tell he's fighting a smile.

"Have you ever carried someone's' books willingly?"

His forehead creases in thought before he responds, "Yes actually, although it was only once."

Of course he's only done it once. Sometimes, I wonder if Albus knows how to be a gentleman or not. "See, you aren't the type to carry a girl's books," I point out.

He quirks an eyebrow at me in challenge before grabbing the books out of my hand (and might I add without my permission). Albus observes me, his head looking down at me. Damn his height.

I don't argue and we keep walking. My eyes follow where the wall meets the ceiling. I've never realised how high the ceilings in Hogwarts are. They are somewhere around nine and a half to ten feet tall. My attention then shifts to the polished flooring but it doesn't take too long before I'm bored out of my mind. I rotate my head slightly to see that Albus is watching me, his lips pressed down in consideration.

"What?"

"How tall are you?" This takes me my surprise. That's what he has been thinking about; how tall I am? Albus Potter is a strange one.

"Isn't that a bit random?"

"No, just wondering."

"Why?" I inquire, curiosity peaking up.

He raises up his shoulders in no explanation. "Most of the girls I've dated have been short."

"You mean the _two_ girls you've dated?" I tease, laughter in my voice. I'm still not over the fact that he's barely been any relationships.

"Yes Aaliyah, the _two_ girls I've dated have been short." He rolls his eyes at me but I catch the grin starting to form.

"Hmm… I didn't know you were into short girls." I have nothing against short girls. They can pull of this bubbly personality other girls can't. I wouldn't give up my height though. I like being a good '5, 8." It makes it so that I don't have to crane my neck to look at most guys my age. However, Albus Potter having a thing for short girls is kind of unexpected. He appears to be somewhere around a '5, 11", which is tall, in my opinion that is. So why would he like having to force his neck down to look at girls?

"They're cute," he says, laid-back with his reasoning.

"They're cute?" I echo him, not believing that's his only justification.

"Yeah." He gives me a sideways glance before stepping onto a stair. I hadn't realised beforehand that we were already at the winding staircases. I follow his movement and we climb the stairs together before hastily jumping onto a moving one that would take us to our destination.

"Do you not think I'm cute then?" I voice after a while. I'm not sure why I'm asking this. Maybe it's just because I, for some reason, want to know what he thinks of me.

Albus takes some time to respond. "That depends on who you ask."

"Well," I angle my body towards him, "I'm asking you."

"I try to base my opinions and thoughts on people by their actions and personality." He's trying to slip away from answering the question but I have a feeling it's not because he doesn't want to tell me, but because he doesn't know how I'll react.

"Are you saying that you don't notice any girls' physical appearance?"

He sighs before asking, "Why do you want to know?"

"Curiosity, I guess." I make my face come out in a plain expression of honesty and boredom as he searches it.

"Curiosity killed the cat," he quips back.

"That's an old saying. And I am certainly not a cat." He narrows his eyes in deliberation and the slight twitch of the corner of his lip indicates that he's pleased with my response. But I'm not looking to please him.

He cocks his head toward me. "A little above average."

The four words stay heavy in the air before a smile comes on my face without me asking it to. A little above average. The words stick to me. Most girls would be angry at being called that, maybe even horrified, but me… I'm quite happy with it. The way I look at it is that if in the physical appearance department you aren't too high and yet you still get a fair amount of attention, it means that in the personality and character department you are high.

"How are you happy with that?" Albus questions all of a sudden.

I snap my eyes back on his and notice that he's confused. Not almost confused or maybe confused or somewhat confused but completely befuddled. That's a development.

I can't seem to find an explanation for a while before taking the easy way of saying, "just 'cause."

He doesn't press on any further.

We don't speak a word to each other during the rest of the trip. That is until we arrive at the entrance to Ravenclaw Tower.

Albus hands me my books back and the bronze eagle knocker gives me a riddle.

"What word becomes shorter by adding two letters to it?"

I immediately answer, "short." The entrance opens and I'm about to go in when….

"Wait." His hands are back in his pockets again but his shoes are now leaning in, as if he's going to ask me something.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to go to the Halloween Party with me?" At first my mind goes blank before I remember today's date. It's October 30th which makes tomorrow Halloween, the day the Gryffindors always host a party of some sort for fifth years and up to celebrate the spooky holiday. I had completely forgotten about it.

Before I can open my mouth to give him a reply, he adds on, "It's totally understandable if you don't want to go with me but it would be a bit suspicious if we don't show up together."

I incline my head back in inspection. He's not nervous at all… about asking me, that is. The guys that have usually tried asking me out on dates and stuff have always been shy and shaky but Albus isn't in the slightest one of them.

I take a step toward him. He waits… "Sure," I shrug nonchalantly and disappear behind the door and into the tower.

* * *

"Aaliyah, why aren't you getting ready yet?" Ellie questions, a frown directed at me.

I sigh to myself and press my head further into my mattress. I'm still in my school uniform: the top few buttons undone, stockings laying on the floor, and shoes kicked off. My eyes flutter shut in frustration. When I said yes to going with Albus (which is technically mandatory), I thought it would be a piece of cake. All I have to do is go to the party, act like I'm having a good time and then come back to my dorm and be done for the night. What I forgot was that: one, it is a costume party; two, I don't have a costume at hand and three; I have to try and make myself look more than my usual decent.

"Aaliyah!" Ellie shouts, ripping open my curtains. She gives me a disapproving look and tugs at my arm. She succeeds at getting me up in a sitting position. Damn her Beater strength.

She already has most of her costume on: a stretch white peasant top that comes to three quarters in arm length, a black bustier with a few ruffles and red laces, and a simple, red skirt that stops a couple inches above her knee.

I smile at her. "Little Red Riding Hood? Like from the Muggle fairy tales?"

She nods, grinning that I recognized it. Both of us were half-bloods-Ellie's mum is a muggle and my mum is a muggleborn witch. We both were raised up on Muggle fairy tales and still have a fascination with them.

"Why aren't you ready yet?" Ellie crosses her arms over her chest. I have a feeling she isn't going to take any lame excuse for an answer.

I sigh, "I don't really have anything to wear."

Right then, Annie walks in from the bathroom. She's wearing a floor-length, velvet dress. The colour matches her eyes and the stand up collar on the back of it makes Annie look even more elegant. Her hair is in an updo and a tiara sits at the top of her head. She looks stunning. I stare and I have a feeling that Ellie is staring at her too.

Annie realises that someone is looking at her and she turns toward us. "What?" We don't answer and she gets nervous. "Are these puffed up shoulders making me look weird?"

Ellie and I turn to look at each other before bursting out laughing simultaneously.

"Why are you laughing?" Confusion passes over Annie's face and we both laugh even harder. "Oh come on guys, do I look that funny?"

Ellie and I both shake our head in a 'no' with some effort. When we both finish, Annie looks at us expectantly.

"You look gorgeous, Annie," I pipe up from my seat on my bed.

"Beyond gorgeous," Ellie adds in.

Annie flushes in embarrassment and joy. She admires her dress before asking, "Are you sure?"

"Of course we're sure."

"Have we ever been wrong?"

"I guess not," she sighs, but a smile stays plastered on her face.

Ellie now turns to meet my eyes. Her light green eyes have a mischievous look. Oh, gosh.

"Now Miss. Aaliyah, it's time to get you into a costume." She smirks at me and I'm not sure what to expect. You never know with Ellie. She may put me in an incredibly slutty outfit or an 'innocent enough' outfit. Hopefully, it will be the second.

Annie comes up next to her. They whisper for a moment before announcing, "vampire."

Both of my eyebrows arch up in surprise. A… vampire? "You want me to be a vampire?"

"Honey, I've been dying to have an excuse to force red lipstick on you," Ellie replies, completely honest.

"I don't know about this," I say hesitantly, scooting away from them slowly.

"It'll be fine Aaliyah," Annie reassures. Her violet eyes glimmer and I sigh in a 'yes'. Ellie squeals and starts to dig through my wardrobe. She throws a plain, white tank at me. She then moves to her side of the wardrobe and starts looking through for something. I hear many drawers shut before she finally shows me a pair of fringed, dark, skinny jeans. I shake my head at her and she pouts at me.

Annie grabs it out of Ellie's hand and twirls her wand to make it a little tighter and longer since I'm taller than Ellie by two inches. She hands it to me and I look at the two pieces of clothing in discomfort.

"Strip," they both chant at the same time. I give in and before you know it, the tank is over my head and the jeans are pulled on with some difficulty (who even knew they were that tight).

"I feel weird," I interrupt.

"Nah, you look chic."

"Now, let me do your make up," Ellie says, giddily. Annie hands her a tube of scarlet red lipstick and I look at it in mild disgust. I normally don't wear too much red since it's kind of flashy.

Ellie doesn't take too much time and thankfully only puts some mascara, eye liner, and concealer (to hide my freckles) on in addition to the muck that is coating my lip. I don't hate makeup, don't get me wrong, but I've always had more of a habit to avoid it rather than use it.

"Done," Ellie claps her hand in delight and Annie comes over. She now has a pearl necklace and dangling earrings on. She grins at me and they hand me a mirror. I give it back in a rush, not really wanting to take a peek at my appearance. Annie does Ellie's make up while I go to look for Ellie's red cape and black flats. When I find them, I hand them to her. I then pull out my pair of black pumps. I put my feet in them and immediately feel my height rise.

"Oh, come on, Aaliyah! You're already quite tall as it is! Are you trying to make me look short?" Ellie teases light-heartedly. Annie nods at me knowingly. I may not like makeup all that much but I've always liked heels, whether they are platforms, pumps, or stilettos. They made me feel high and unstoppable for some reason. It gives this edge and a small rush of adrenaline and pleasure.

"You need a cloak," Ellie voices, inspecting me one last time. Her red cape is on with the hood up and as are her flats.

"And some vampire teeth." Annie grabs her wand and comes near me. She tells me to open my mouth and I oblige. With a flick of her wand, I can feel my canines becoming longer. I use my tongue to feel them. Boy, are they sharp!

I then pick out a cloak from the back of my wardrobe. It's a sparkly, black, translucent one my grandmother gave me before she passed away. I hold it up at Ellie and she blinks in a 'yes.'

Carefully, I place it on my shoulders and tie the strings at the front. This marks the finish of my costume. Annie's pulls on her boots (she doesn't like wearing heels or sandals and the dress will cover them) and Ellie puts her wand in her basket while I stick my wand in the inside pocket of my cloak. A minute later and we all exit the dorm. I can already tell it's going to by a crazy night.

* * *

The Gryffindor Halloween Party is known to be quite big. Not as big as the end of the year party but still big. Every year, it is a costume party and you would think that dressing up on the same day, every year, with the same spooky theme would get boring, right? Well, you're wrong. Every year the Gryffindors try to make it better and scarier. Yeah they have to use orange and black as the colors most of the time but they try to have a different element for each one.

In my fourth year, James sneaked me in and that year was the year of the ghosts. There were white pillows and bean bag sofas in one area and an ice-skating rink in another. Feathers and curtains were decorated and put up everywhere and a fireplace was put in the middle to roast marshmallows and tell scary stories. That year was more focused on being comfy and having a good time rather than getting drunk and peeing your pants in fright.

In my fifth year, where I didn't need to be sneaked in since I was technically in the upper classmen age group, the theme was less focused on the Muggle beliefs. Instead, it was the year of the magical 'monsters'. That year was a scary one. Some of the Gryffindors were dressed as goblins (they did a height shrinking charm and all that) and trolls. There was this Haunted House Halloween Walkthrough and it kept going and going (seriously, two people never made it out and then, they had to search for them in the morning).

And now in sixth year the theme, so I've heard, is supposed to be 'Traditional Halloween' which kind of sounds lame, but you never know what to expect. So that's why Annie, Ellie, and I end up entering through the Room of Requirement and quite surprisingly, amazed by the decor.

The room is dark with glowing orange lights hanging from the ceiling. Pumpkins of all sorts and spider webs are scattered around the room, Bats are dropping randomly on people. Music is blaring, even from the entrance. The dance floor in the middle already has a good amount of students busting some moves and others are heading towards the photo booth in the back.

I guess this is what you call tradition Halloween.

Annie, Ellie, and I head towards the mini bar. Last year, they had a full out bar, but way too many people got drunk, so that's probably why this year they have a mini one with hopefully less strong less drinks.

Ellie slams her hand on the counter to get the tender's attention. He turns around and Ellie's jaw drops. There stands Aiden. There is no way Ellie's getting drunk tonight, that's for sure.

"Now dear cousin, what can I get you?"

"The strongest drink you've got," she answers, hoping he would permit to it.

He smirks and pulls something out from under the counter: a butterbeer. "That's the only form of alcohol you're getting tonight, Elles." Ellie's eyes turn to slits but she still takes the drink from him.

"Anything else for you ladies?"

"I'll take a butterbeer." She clearly wants to play it safe but then, I've never drank alcohol before… so who am I to judge.

"And you Aaliyah?"

"Umm... apple juice?" He laughs before handing over a plastic cup containing the harmless liquid.

A take a sip of it when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I circle to see a policeman and a stereotypical nerd. Well, this is going to be interesting.

"Oh look Albus... your girlfriend is dressed up as a sexy vampire." Scorpius winks at me and I roll my eyes. He's dressed up in a white button-up, khakis, suspenders, and a pair of thick, black frames with no lens.

"Are you supposed to be a nerd, Scorpius?" I tilt my head back in inspection and he smiles in a 'yes.'

"You like?" He uses his hands to motion to his outfit and I laugh. He looks kind of silly with his broad shoulders stuck in his plain top and stretchy suspenders. Albus, on the other hand, looks quite good in his costume. It works for him: the button up and clip-on tie makes him come off as all business and the black police hat goes with his reserved personality. What grabs my attention, though, is the baton in his left hand.

"I think you look cute, Malfoy. And I'm sure those suspenders will come in handy to some girl tonight," Ellie says, giving him a once over. Albus chuckles at her comment, causing her eyes to shift to him. "Aww, don't you clean up nice, Potter. Aaliyah must be proud." I cough into my drink.

"Too bad I can't say the same for you, Clarke. Exactly what are you supposed to be anyway?" Albus reprimands. I find his hand and pinch him warningly but he doesn't budge.

"Little Red Riding Hood. If you even had a clue on Muggle literature, I'm sure you would have known that." Before Albus could come up with a comeback, Blaine joins us, looking spiffy as a pirate.

Upon noticing him, Ellie gives out a whistle and Annie seems to be now more interested in her drink.

"Hey, everything alright here?" Blaine asks, ignoring Ellie's call of appreciation.

"Nice to see you man. And wicked eyepatch." Scorpius stares in admiration at the piece of cloth hanging over Blaine's right eye.

"Malfoy, is this really what you came dressed up as?" Blaine picks up the glasses off his friend's nose, chuckling. Scorpius snatches it back and places it back on its original position on his nose.

"I told you I would come dressed up as a nerd."

"Yes, and I thought you were messing with me."

Albus all of a sudden asks a question. It isn't directed towards me. "What are you dressed up as?"

Annie glances up at him, all attention is now on her. "Queen Elizabeth."

"The Virgin Queen?" Amusement radiates off of him like a bomb.

"Yes, the virgin queen," she justifies, her voice smooth. Annie's always been good at that, not showing embarrassment.

"Have you seen Aaliyah's canines?" Ellie quickly changes the subject and now five pairs of eyes look at my mouth expectantly.

Sighing, I open my mouth. I haven't touched them so far (except for when Annie charmed them). They are too pointy and even though my tongue itches to touch them, I don't give it permission to.

"Wicked."

"Kinky."

"Exactly how sharp are those?"

"Turn here," a voice mutters. I do as it says and I then feel a light finger under my canine, as if someone is touching the bottom of it to see how sharp it is. The finger pulls away and I close my mouth to see Albus inspecting his index finger, a red spot on it. Is that blood?

Without thinking, I grab his hand, take out my wand and mutter, "Tegeo."

The small amount of blood clears.

"I guess no one should touch Aaliyah's teeth then," Scorpius jokes. After this incident, Ellie leaves to talk to Isaac, Annie excuses herself, Blaine goes to get a drink, and Scorpius is pulled by a girl to the dance floor.

"I guess it is just you and me then." This is the first time Albus acknowledges me tonight, I note.

"Did my teeth hurt you?" Albus laughs softly when he sees the worried cringe on my face.

"No, it didn't. Just a little blood." I bite my lip, still feeling a little bad. A wound is a wound no matter how small, after all. "Really, Aaliyah it isn't that a big of a deal. I'm the one who touched your tooth in the first place."

"Still," I mutter, staring down at the light caramel liquid in my hand. The smell of apples and sweet syrup fill my nose.

He nudges me. "Come on, you are vampire. You're supposed to bite."

I shrug and before I know it, my drink is in his hand.

"What is this?" He twists the paper cup in his hand.

"Nothing." My voice is a little too high-pitched as I try to grab it back for it. He avoids my hands and smells it before smirking at me.

I narrow my eyes at him but I can feel my face warming up. "Is this apple juice?"

I don't answer him. Albus takes my hand in his and firmly places my drink in it and swiftly curls my fingers around it in a grip. "Aren't you innocent?" He takes a sip out of the bottle in his hand. I wonder what his drink is. Stronger than apple juice, that's for sure.

"Have you ever drank alcohol then?" Under normal circumstances, I wouldn't say anything but I make the mistake of looking into his eyes, curiosity swarms them.

"Other than butterbeer, nope." Truth be told, alcohol doesn't appeal to me. Getting wasted, talking crap, and not having full control of yourself isn't something I want to do. It's not smart or particularly safe and I never did get the hype of it. If you want to get down and forget about your problems for a night, then go right ahead. But me? Not going to happen.

He let out a low whistle. "That's something new."

"The fact that I am not fun and spontaneous and adventurous is new to you?" I quirk and eyebrow at him and instead of staring ahead like he has been doing all night, he turns his head and meets my eyes.

"I don't think that."

"Really?" I can't hide the surprise in my voice. I'm a Ravenclaw, I stick to the people I know and I only go to parties if I know enough people there. I don't turn in my homework assignments late and I prefer apple juice over whiskey. Albus, being observant, should have caught that by now.

He nods and goes back to observing the people around him before he explains, "I'm sure you are fun when you want to be. Spontaneous? I think quitting the Ravenclaw Quidditch team to focus on your studies is spontaneous. And I think choosing not to drink and staying away from the cliché that is wasted teenagers is more adventurous and wild than anything else."

Speechless. I am utterly speechless. So I do the most logical thing at the moment... I take a sip of my juice. After a moment of silence I question, "what are you drinking?"

"Vodka." I frown and he switches his attention to me.

His face breaks out into a grin. "I'm joking. It's only butterbeer." This makes me smile for some reason.

"I don't like drinking either," he admits.

"I'll keep your secret."

"Who said it was a secret?" A piece of his hair hangs right by his dark eyebrows.

"I highly doubt people know that the mysterious Albus Potter doesn't like to drink."

"Mysterious?"

"What did you think people thought of you?"

"I was hoping for devilishly handsome."

"Sure," I drawl in a sarcastic tone. What I don't tell him is that the description fits him perfectly.

All of a sudden his eyes darken and he coughs. "Did you read the recent article?"

I sigh and shake my head. What did Ronan write about us now?

"It was about Hogsmeade." It takes a while before it dawns on me: we didn't go together and it was the first trip after we started our relationship.

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"That was a bad move, wasn't it?"

"Well you technically told me that you had homework to do."

"Well you technically never asked me."

He is about to retort when he stops himself from speaking. He looks lost in thought. "Wait... hold up... I am already dating you. Why would I ask you to go with me to Hogsmeade if you are already my girlfriend?"

"Because it's polite."

"But isn't it an unsaid thing already?"

I stare at my 'boyfriend', not believing what I was hearing. How is that this bloke had two girlfriends in the past? "No, it isn't an unsaid thing."

His face scrunches up in an unreadable expression before he takes another swing of his drink.

Right at the moment, James makes his presence known to us by coming up to my side and pushing me by the shoulders. I stumble into Albus, he looks over and sees James. He doesn't smile like I expect him to.

"Hey, Aaliyah." James' caramel eyes droops down a little as he greets me. I'm close enough to him that I can smell the tang of alcohol in his breath but knowing him, he probably is totally drunk yet, only a little tipsy, and above all, he looks tired with the light shadows underneath his eyes. I'm pretty sure I hadn't seen those the last time we spoke.

"Hey, Jamsie." The ends of his lips twitch up at the nickname. He glances over my shoulder and his eyes land on his brother.

"Hey, Alby!" He stumbles a little closer to me, trying to wave to Albus. Okay, maybe he is a little more than tipsy.

"James, how drunk are you?" Albus asks his brother, scooting a little closer to me. Now I am wedged between two brothers, isn't that just dandy.

"Not as much as most, a little more than some," the shaggy-haired Gryffindor answers in a riddle. He gives a knowing glance to the two of us, then his gaze shifts to Albus' left shoulder that is pressed right up against mine. "How you two holding up? Having fun?"

"Fine. You've outdone yourself this year," Albus says smoothly.

James shakes his head to the left and right in a 'no.' "Nah, I think last year's was better." His focus shifts to me. He takes a look at me red lips and cape. "You supposed be a vampire, Aaliyah?"

He hadn't even seen the teeth. "How could you tell?"

"Lucky guess?" He shrugs at me before adding, "It's cute."

"Have you seen Gabby?" I inquire.

"Yeah, she's a nurse. Getting a lot of attention too." We all stand there, the three of us, and stare out into the crowd. Oh, how we wished we could have faded in. But we aren't known for being ignored and we never will be.

All of a sudden I feel a heavy weight depending on me and a head resting on my shoulders. James had fallen asleep. Albus notices this and helps to take his weight off me as I struggle to stand upright. Turns out teenage boys are heavy, especially when they have as much muscle as James.

"I'll see if I can find a Gryffindor cousin to take him up to his dorm."

"No, it is fine. I'll take him."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, but we need to get him awake enough that I can help him." Albus agrees with me and pinches James hard. James' head immediately shoots up, but he is only half awake but that's all I need. I take his hand firmly and lead him through the dance floor, every now and then making sure he isn't falling to the floor. I take a glance around for a familiar redhead but can't seem to find any. After a while I spot Roxanne and right next to her stands James' best friend and my ex, Fred. Well, this is going to be awkward. I let out a sigh before telling James, "Come on, Jamsie. We are going to go to Freddie." He lolls his head in an 'okay.'

I make my way in their direction. Fred locates me from a few feet away. He walks toward us. He is about to speak but I get there first. "He fell asleep and he kind of had too much to drink." Roxanne appears beside him after I finish my sentence.

Fred bobs his head up and down. "We'll take it from here." His deep voice sends a message through my body but I ignore it. I turn to leave; however, I can still feel his eyes burning into my back. Once I get away, I can breathe again.

I make my way back to Albus. When I'm a few feet away, I can hear a loud, slurred voice talking to him.

"I'm a free, confident man and will be not tied down by a woman. I can to whatever I want, whenever I want with whoever I want because I am Scorpius freaking Hyperion Malfoy."

"Yes, Scorp. I think we already established your name a long time ago," I hear Albus say in a calm, maybe even soothing, tone. Albus Potter and soothing definitely do not go together. Maybe I am hearing wrong?

"I should be having the time of life and screwing a pretty girl but no... I can never bring myself to do it... all because of that damn redhead."

"Just let it out pal." Pal? Who even says that anymore?

I finally reach them with some shoving on my part (it isn't my fault couples don't snog in a private place and refuse to move when they aren't).

Scorpius is now sitting on one of the stools, his head resting on the flat surface of the bar table. His head shoots up and he drawls, "...but she isn't just a damn redhead, she's a lovely redhead... with pretty eyes and yet she refuses to me mine. I mean she's hot, I'm hot so we should be dating right now. Like fuck... I am perfect for her."

"I'm sure you are Scorp, I'm sure you are." Albus pats him on the back.

"Are you sure you are okay with this, Al? I mean she is your cousin." Wait, cousin? Scorpius likes one of Albus' redhead cousins? So it isn't Dominique or Roxanne... that narrows it down to Lucy, Molly, and Rose.

"Which cousin?" I whisper to Albus.

Before Albus can answer, Scorpius says her name. "Rose fucking Weasley... why does she always go for the wimps? I'm not a wimp... is that why I am not in her radar?" My eyes widen. Out of all the girls he could have picked, he picked Rose Weasley. I can't help but think that Scorpius deserves better, much better. There is bang and I whip my head up to see Scorpius' head hit the table, fast asleep.

Albus and I stare at each other and then at him.

In the last few hours, Scorpius Malfoy has managed to dress up a nerd, get piss drunk, express that he is a 'confident, free man' and indulge the fifteen or so people around him on who is crush is (thank Merlin, the rest of them are too drunk to remember any of this).

Ladies and Gentlemen... this is why you shouldn't get... how do you put it lightly... smashed.

* * *

 **A/N: Bit of a long chapter but I hope you enjoyed it! A lot of characters are in this chapter... the Slytherins, The Ravenclaws, James, and Daniel. Which one is your favorite appearance? I would love to hear your thoughts in a review, whether it is one line or a whole paragraph.**


	8. Albus: The Matchmaker(s)

"Place him down here."

I slowly take Scorpius' arm off of its position around my neck. On the other side of the bed, Aaliyah is mirroring my actions. We place him down steadily on the mattress, his head hitting the pillow as it should.

When I look down at him, I notice that his glasses are still on. Even after his show of drunkenness and banging his head on the table, they hadn't come off. I quickly snatch them off his nose and place it on the nightstand.

"Should we take off his shoes?" Aaliyah asks.

I shrug and we both grab one each and pull them off and set it on the floor. I then grab the blanket and tug it on over Scorpius. He hasn't woken up at all which makes sense since he has always slept like the dead.

Sighing, I sit down on the floor at the foot of the bed. My back leans against the mahogany board and my eyes close shut. It's been a rough night.

I can feel Aaliyah sit down next to me. Her body radiates heat and I feel myself leaning in. Scotland is always so cold.

I hear her stand up again, the wood creaking under her slightly. I open my eyes to see that she has grabbed a blanket. She returns to her place next to me and drapes the material over our legs. It helps a little.

Outside it is a dark hue of blue and as I stare out at the window, it starts raining. Aaliyah shifts next to me and I stare at her. She stares right back.

"You can go right now if you want," I voice quietly.

She nods and glances away. "There is more of a chance I'll get caught being out late right now than later."

I nod back before a realization dawns on me. "Aren't you a prefect?" She nods again. "Breaking rules are we now?"

Aaliyah scoffs. "Rose breaks the rules all the time." I raise my eyebrow at her and she explains, "She's partnered with the other Gryffindor prefect in our year but she gets them to switch so she is partnered with the Hufflepuff prefect."

"So?"

"She does it in secret. The Heads don't know."

"How do you know this?"

"All of the rest of the prefects know this."

"Then why don't you tell the Head Girl?" I suggest. She looks at me incredulously.

"Are you suggesting that I turn your cousin in? Aren't you supposed to watch out for her or something?"

I shrug, unsure. I honestly don't give a crap about rules but I am not stupid enough to go around breaking all of them. I leave that job for my brother and Fred.

"What's this prefect's name?" Rose doesn't break rules, ever. It is one of the qualities you get used to about her but why risk going behind the Heads back and putting her position in jeopardy? Rose wouldn't do that.

Aaliyah lets out a sigh. "Conrad something."

"You mean Rose's boyfriend?"

Aaliyah's eyes widen in surprise. "Rose has a boyfriend?"

"Yeah, not saying I approve of him though," I mutter, annoyance seeping into my voice. She hears it and an amused expression appears on her face.

"Protective of Rose? How sweet," she croons the last part, a smirk coming into form. Looks like I've been a bad influence.

"No, I just don't like him," I reason. He really does look like a slimy git so I think I have a perfectly valid reason to not like him.

"I doubt he's that bad. He's a Hufflepuff, he'll be loyal," she points out.

"I guess. You don't like her, do you?" I finally ask. Rose and Aaliyah are very bitchy towards each, to put it lightly. They don't do the whole yelling across the hall and shooting spells at each other thing though. It is more of a Cold War. They try to get better marks than each other in class, win more admiration from the teachers, have more of the student body like them and etc., etc. Well, that's what Rose told me anyway.

"I mean... I guess she could have been worse... she isn't really particularly nice to me and"

I cut her off, "Get to the point, Aaliyah."

She huffs and says, "Fine, I don't like her. What of it?"

I scrunch my eyebrows together in thought before asking why.

"It's hard to explain."

"Try me."

She uses hand gestures and waves of her arm to explain. "I don't know. I don't really know where it all started. I first noticed it when she once spilt my ink well all over this essay I was writing and she didn't say sorry. At that time I was like 'oh, she probably didn't know she knocked my inkwell over.' But then it happened again and I saw her glare at me across the Great Hall multiple times. That was just child's play, you know?" I nod. "And it was back in second or third year or something."

When I used to hang out with James, she would scowl at me. It was weird but I thought it was only because she didn't know me. One summer, a group of us were at James' house and we were going to play some Quidditch and Rose wanted to play too which she never does. Anyway, during the game she pushed me off my broom."

I interrupt. "Rose pushed you?"

"Yeah and she said it was an accident but James still got mad at her and later I think she was pissed off at me for James being mad at her." Aaliyah's eyes are on me now. They hold confusion and disbelief.

I replay the whole story in my head before noticing a minor detail she left out. "If she pushed you off your broom, who caught you?"

Aaliyah downcasts her eyes and her hair hangs around most of her face like she is trying to hide something. I reach out and tuck her hair behind her ear to see her face more clearly. There is a tinge of pink on her cheeks that wasn't there a few seconds ago.

"Fred," she mumbles lightly.

Another question nags me. "Which summer was this?"

"The one before fourth year," she says, sighing.

All I can say is "oh." My stomach feels queazy at the mention of Fred's name and Aaliyah's reaction. I look over to her and see her staring out into space, shivering from time to time. I shift closer to her 'til we have no space between us. She gazes at me in shock and query.

"You're shivering." She gives in and leans on me a little. I can feel her cold shoulders through her thin cloak.

We sit there in silence before she whispers, "Scorpius likes Rose." She says it as a statement. I can feel myself nodding.

"How long?" I'm not sure if I should tell her or not since it is technically Scorpius' story to tell. But then... Aaliyah might be able to help him.

"For some time."

"Why?"

"Honestly... I have no clue," I say in a humorous tone. Aaliyah's laughs softly.

"I know no one likes pity and all of that stuff but... I truly feel sorry for him." Her tone is light with sadness intertwined.

"For liking Rose?" Rose isn't over-the-rainbow fantastic all of the time but she really isn't that bad.

"No, for liking a girl with a boyfriend." I smile at this, relieved that I don't have to hear a bad comment about my cousin. Hearing bad things about her always make me like I am betraying her. Aaliyah smiles back at me before grabbing my hat off of my head. She places it on the edge of her lap, keeping it out of my reach.

"Have a problem with my hat?"

"You look more intimidating in it."

"I look intimidating?" Who am I kidding, I know I am intimidating but Aaliyah never seemed affected by it.

She gives me a look that says "don't lie to me, you know you are."

Not long after, we both start to doze off. The last thing I remember is her whispering "five" into my ear and me saying "huh" and her answering "five boyfriends."

"Al, Al!" A finger pokes me in the shoulder, trying to wake me up. I groggily raise my arm up and put my index finger to my lip, eyes still closed. Hopefully, whichever dorm mate will get the hint and let me sleep.

"Al." Just keep sleeping. Maybe he'll go away. "Potter, get up or I'll spray water in you face!"

My lips twitch up. "Is that the best you've got?"

"Would you like the whole school to know about your crush on G-"

My eyes flicker open immediately, a groan escaping me. Blaine, still in his costume, looks down at me, his arms crossed over his chest, a smile on his face.

I rub my hand over my face and mumble, "What time is it?"

"Two am." Blaine then motions his head to the space next to me. I turn my head to see Aaliyah's head resting on my shoulder, fast asleep.

"Aaliyah," I whisper-yell.

No response.

I nudge her head with my nose a little harder than necessary. No response.

So I do the most logical (okay, maybe not so logical) thing I can come up with: I bite her ear.

Her head shoots up, her eyes focusing on me. A glare is already in place.

Thank Merlin Blaine coughs at that moment or else she would have yelled at me.

Aaliyah whips her head, her eyes seeing him for the first time since she woke up. Her face flushes and she raises a hand to smooth down her hair.

I get up off the floor, my back stiff. I then offer Aaliyah a hand, she takes it and I pull her up effortlessly.

While Aaliyah dusts herself off, I turn to Blaine. "Is everyone back?"

Every time there is big party, all the sixth year Slytherin males had a way of not getting caught. By 2am the ones who make it back to dorm check in to see what the others are doing, usually by looking at the Marauder's map. If any of us are with a girl, we leave it as it is. If one of us are drunk out of our minds, we go back and haul their ass up to bed.

It may sound like extra work and all, but it keeps us all out of trouble. We keep an eye out for each other and it pays off in the future.

"Kian is with a girl and I have no clue where Sebastian is."

I nod and walk over to my trunk and open it. Once I find the map, I pull it out.

Tapping it with my wand, I mutter, "I solemnly swear I am up to no good."

It takes me a while for me to spot the scribble that read Sebastian Hennings.

"Where is he?"

"Astronomy Tower," I sigh.

"With a girl?"

"Yeah, we should just leave him. He can take care of himself." Blaine nods and I am about to go pass out when Aaliyah comes over to look at the paper.

"What girl?" Her eyes roam over the map and I point out the name that reads Bridget Dalley.

"But she's all the way at the other side of the tower. They aren't even near each other," she points out, a thoughtful look on her face.

I turn to Blaine and her shrugs, not knowing if we should go find him or leave him to take care of himself.

"I think we should go," Aaliyah says. I am about to sigh and say alright when I notice something.

"What do you mean by 'we'?"

"As in us." She moves her index finger in a circle, pointing to Blaine, herself and me. I almost snort, like hell is she coming. Drunk fellows aren't easy to handle and Sebastian always gets really flirty when he is smashed.

"How about we," I mimic her her circle motion, "drop you off at your common room and you leave the rest of the work to Blaine and I?"

She crosses her arms over her chest. "No."

"Well it isn't really up for debate, love. You aren't coming."

Aaliyah raises an eyebrow at me in challenge. I'm kind of glad she isn't spewing the typical 'I am an independent woman' bullcrap at me yet.

"Why don't we just let her come with us? Ravenclaw Tower isn't that far from the Astronomy Tower," Blaine cuts in between our staring match. Aaliyah smiles, knowing she's won.

We all file out of dorm, one behind the other. Blaine leads the front while Aaliyah trudges behind me. As we climb down, I feel her breathe, "And don't call me love."

When we make it to the landing, I grab her hand, pulling her next to me. "As you say, love."

Aaliyah scowls and pinches my arm with her other hand, forcing me to let go of her.

She marches ahead of me and I shake my head in amusement, catching up to her in a second.

"Don't be mad, love. I was just teasing..."

She waits for the last word and I smirk.

"...love."

She pushes me this time. "You're hurting me here, love. Don't push me so far away."

This continues on for the rest of the way to tower. And I can tell Blaine hears all of it by the way his shoulders shake in laughter from time to time.

Aaliyah is right. Sebastian isn't with a girl. No. He's out cold, his body laying on the freezing floor one handcuff on his wrist while the other is empty. I don't even want to know who was in that one. His mouth is hanging open and his snoring is bouncing off the walls. I cringe at how fucking loud it is.

Merlin, the boy really needs to learn how to manage his alcohol.

We all crowd around him.

"Sebastian mate, you need to get up!" Blaine tries to shake him awake.

"Hennings, time to get your arse off the floor." In case you couldn't figure it out, that one is from me.

After a few more calls to wake up, I kick him lightly on his side. Still no sign of life. All of a sudden Aaliyah tells us to stop. She sits next to him and whispers something in his ear, her voice faint and low. Sebastian immediately shoots up and Aaliyah stands up. He looks at all of us dazed. He then fixes his eyes on the only Ravenclaw here. He then switches his focus to me.

"You have an evil girlfriend, Potter." He then drops back down to the ground.

"What did you say to him?"

She shrugs and in a seductive voice she says, " Wake up, sexy. It's time to tighten those handcuffs."

Blaine stares at her. I stare at her.

Damn. My girlfriend is hot.

It doesn't take long after that to get Sebastian out of the tower. We stop by Ravenclaw Tower before we head back.

"See you tomorrow, love."

She rolls her eyes this time. I can tell the name is growing on her. She then stands on her toes and whispers in my ear, "Night, sexy." She then draws back but before she leaves, I pull her back.

"What was that for?"

"I just didn't want to make you feel left out." She winks and disappears into the tower.

I stand there for a few moments before Blaine calls, "Coming, Al?"

"Yeah." I shake my head, trying to clear it. Tonight's been a weird night. But I decide it's good weird.

"You're stepping on my foot, Blaine!"

"Sorry-"

"Malfoy, move your damn elbow."

"Maybe if you weren't taking up so much spac-"

"Who's breathing so loudly?"

"Probably Malf-"

"Shut up," I hiss at the lot of them. Blaine grumbles something under his breath. Aaliyah whips her head around to face me and hits her head.

"Ow." She presses her hand to the top of her head. "Stupid table," she mutters, annoyance coming into her voice.

"Not so loud," Scorpius whispers, eyes still on the red-head a few meters away. Did I mention said red-head happens to be my cousin?

"This place is getting cramped."

"More like this place _is_ cramped. This plan is stupid. Who came up with it again?"

"Aaliyah," chimes Blaine.

"Hiding under a table was _not_ my plan. My plan was for Scorpius to go up to Rose and talk to her." We all turn and glare at Scorpius.

"I can't just go up and talk to her!" Scorpius whisper-yells, frustrated. He hits his head in the process and lets out a string of curses.

"Uh, yeah you can… you know if you were man enough to," Blaine provokes. Scorpius doesn't take the bait. Man, we're go be under here 'til dinner.

"I'm not in Gryffindor for a reason," hisses Scorpius.

"It doesn't take being a Gryffindor to know how to talk to a girl," Aaliyah points out. Her hair tickles me face. Not that I mind all too much. It's really soft.

"Exactly. Now go, or I'll end up going up to her." Blaine smirks evilly. He's a nice guy most of the time but at times like this his Slytherin side kicks in. Desperate times call for desperate measure. And boy are we desperate because we've been under here for two hours straight. I'm starting to lose feeling in my legs.

"You wouldn't," Scorpius threatens. Blaine smiles deviously. He would.

"Fine-" Finally.

"She's leaving!" We all turn to see that what Aaliyah just said is true. Rose had discarded her chair and is already at the library entrance, pushing open the door.

"Well, maybe another time!" Scorpius crawls out of the table, dusting himself off, probably grinning at the fact that he got out of this. Lucky bastard.

The rest of us don't take too long to get out. We all stretch. Merlin, my back is stiff.

"That was a waste of time," I sigh.

"Don't look so happy about it either," Aaliyah cautions Scorpius, a not-so happy look on her face. Aaliyah and I had confronted Scorpius this morning and she admitted that she knew about his humongous crush and Scorpius was, surprisingly, okay with it. So after our classes she had dragged us all here so Scorpius could hold a proper conversation with my cousin but, alas, her plan hadn't worked.

Scorpius grin broadens. He's never been one to face his problems. But then, neither have I.

"She's probably off snogging her boyfriend or something." This time Scorpius and I both turn to scowl at Blaine. The thought of that creep snogging Rose is disgusting. His smiles drops.

"Too soon?"

"I still don't get what she sees in that Connor bloke," Scorpius muses as we exit the library.

"His name is Conrad and… he is kind of cute, come to think about it.." Three pair of eyes lock on charcoal. Conrad is… cute? I might just barf. But I won't because that would be gross and extremely unattractive.

She shrugs. "Hey, I'm just stating that obvious."

"So, I'm cute, aren't I? Fuck, I can be adorable if that's what she wants." This time Aaliyah, Blaine and I look at him like he's gone crazy. Adorable? Am I hearing him right? Exactly which bloke wants to be adorable? That's what teddy bears are for.

"You want to be adorable?" Blaine and I are clearly on the same page.

"Adorable isn't _that_ bad. Don't you dig adorable, Aaliyah?"

With a serious face, she says, "no."

"Why not?" Scorpius pouts. Like the whole lower lip jutting out thing and not in a subtle way. Fuck, he's already trying out the adorable image.

"I went for Albus. What makes you think I dig adorable?" Aaliyah quirks an eyebrow at him.

Scorpius nods knowingly and stops pouting. Thank Merlin.

After a few moments Blaine speaks up. "So… what now?"

"I have to go back to the Ravenclaw Common Room. I have some homework to finish. See you later." Aaliyah leans in and pecks my cheek. She waves to the guys and turns around, heading back the way we just came from.

The three of us keep going forward, away from her and to the Slytherin Common Room.

Aaliyah keeps shooting glances at Blaine. She thinks I don't notice but I do. I wonder what that's about. I wait a few more minutes and she keeps doing the same thing: bites her lip, looks down at her book only to shoot a glance over her shoulder. I put my quill down and lean back in my chair. I've been writing Blackwell's essay for about an hour and my focus is already starting to drain. That's what boring subjects do to me.

"Why are you staring at Blaine?" My voice disrupts the quiet environment in the library. I can already feel some scowls directed towards me.

Aaliyah jumps in her seat. "I'm not staring," she corrects me.

"Then pray-tell what are you doing?"

"Observing." I look over her head to see Blaine slyly watching the same girl he's been eyeing since third year. Now that I think about it I'm pretty sure the girl is Aaliyah's friend. Annie… and I don't know her last name.

"Observing for what exactly?" I question curiously though I have a hunch about what it is.

She sighs and places her book down on the table and leans over the table. "Does he still like Annie?"

"Isn't the obvious by now? You've been 'observing' him for the past twenty minutes."

"Why? Jealous?"

"Hardly," I bite back. Jealousy isn't really my thing and why would I be jealous of Blaine? He's one of my best mates. "So what are you going to do about them?"

"I don't know. Should I do something about them? Wouldn't that be meddling?" She seems unsure.

"Aren't you meddling in Scorpius' business? Why can't you meddle in Blaine's?"

"That wasn't meddling, that was helping. And I know Scorpius better than Blaine," she explains.

"I think you should. He really likes her." A lot.

"Okay… but you'll have to help me." This takes me by surprise. I'm no cupid. If I was, I would have a bunch of love arrows, a pink bow and be wearing a diaper which I am not.

"What are we? Matchmakers?" First Scorpius and Rose now this. I truly want my friends to be happy and all but sometimes not everything works out that easily. I would know. I've seen it happen.

"Yup." She smiles at me. I like it when she smiles. It makes her eyes look brighter and happier. "Maybe when this is all over, we'll find a match for you."

"I'll take you up on that then."

Her face lights up. "Does that mean I can start looking for her?" I almost laugh at how cute she looks. She looks really thrilled at the idea. What I'm not going to tell her is that I didn't mean it.

"No."

"Fine. Be lonely."

We both go back to our work and when it's close to curfew, we stand up to go.

She waits at the exit for her friends. But before they show up I get out the few words I've been planning to ask. "Do you want to go Hogsmeade with me next weekend?"

Her mouth drops a little but she closes it fast. Wait… is she going to reject me? She can't reject me, right? I am her _boyfriend_. And I'm just following _her_ advice on asking. Her mouth opens to say something. Oh gosh, she's going to say no.

"Sure. I'll go with you." Right then, Annie, Clarke and Harrison show up.

"Ten o'clock. Great Hall." I then take my leave, a grin on my face. She said yes!

Am I getting worked up over this?

Come on Potter, get it together.

It's not that a big deal.

You girlfriend wants to spend time with you.

That's totally normal.

What's the big deal in that?

 **A/N: I hope this is a good next chapter to the previous long one. There are a lot of Slytherins in this one so it was really fun to write. Don't hesitate to tell me what you guys think. And thanks for the follows and favs, they really make my day!**


	9. Aaliyah: The Date

Hogsmeade days always have this thing about them... there is this buzz of excitement in the air, the students are somehow able to get up earlier than 12 pm, and there are those handful of girls who are basically glowing in excitement because they have dates. I should be one of those girls, you know the glowing ones but... I'm not.

Nervous?

A little bit.

Excited?

Somewhat. I haven't gone on a date for more than a year so I'm allowed to be excited, right?

Jittery?

Enough to make my hand twitch from time to time, not enough to make my breakfast come up.

Basically, no butterflies, no adrenaline rush, no heart-beating out of my chest... just normal. And I honestly don't know how I feel about that.

"Aaliyah, do you know Chase Maddings?" Ellie asks, buttering her toast. I look up from my blueberry muffin.

"No." Ellie smiles to herself while Annie glares at her. I have a feeling Chase is a fifth year or maybe even younger.

"Exactly, he's a third year Gryffindor," Annie keeps glaring at Ellie but she continues, "... and he asked Annie to Hogsmeade yesterday." If I wasn't used to this I probably would spit out the blueberry in my mouth, but I am sadly. Annie is quite popular with… the lower classmen. It all started in fourth year when she started to tutor a bunch of kids who needed help with some of their classes. It wasn't too long after that one of the kids she tutored told her he had a crush on her. Annie, being ever so nice and polite, put him down nicely. I mean he was two years younger than her so he couldn't expect anything else from her but... he went back and told his friends that she kissed him.

It all kind of started from there and now the only ones who ask Annie out or have a crush on her are boys that are younger than her. While I feel bad for her, Ellie teases her.

"Sorry, Annie." I smile sadly at her but she can probably see the slight amusement in my eyes. Okay when I said I feel bad for her I may have left out the part that I sometimes tease her too. Only sometimes though.

"Is it honestly too much to ask for a guy my age to be interested in me?" Annie stabs her scrambled eggs. "At least this time he gave me chocolates."

"He gave you chocolate?" Ellie asks, shocked. Oh, yeah… I forgot to mention: they may be kids, but they try really hard to impress Annie. We still have no clue how they have so much money though. It's rather they are really good at saving up or win loads from bets.

"Yeah." Annie shrugs and now instead of stabbing her eggs, begins to eat them.

"And you kept them?" This question comes from me.

She shrugs again. "He said I could."

Ellie puts her toast down on her plate. "So while I grovel to get several valentines, you get chocolates daily from your admirers."

Annie rolls her eyes. "They are kid admirers. And it isn't daily."

Ellies waves her off, flipping her blonde locks over her shoulders. "They still count as admirers."

"Ellie, you have lots of admirers," I assure. Really, she probably gets the most positive attention out of the three of us.

"Even if I do, none of them even have the guts to come up to me." Annie and I share a knowing look.

"That's because you have Isaac."

Ellie looks more sad than happy at this comment. "He doesn't even make a move." She usually doesn't talk about what goes on between her and Isaac so I immediately perk up, taking my chin off my hand and paying more close attention.

"Why don't you make a move?" Annie asks. We are all more huddled in now, our heads bent toward the center of the table, our voices light and only a smidge louder than a whisper. Looking around, the Ravenclaw table is getting more filled up than it had been half an hour ago. A student takes a seat a few inches to the left of Annie and another plops down a few feet to the right of me.

"I don't know." Ellie sighs. "I mean I know I usually make the moves but this time it doesn't feel right for me to do it." Ellie likes to call the shots almost all the time and when you think about it Isaac does too. So the two people who have never had problems with dropping hints and making the first move are having trouble with it now? Merlin, what have they got themselves into?

"So you haven't done anything with Isaac yet?" Annie says slowly, disbelief in her tone.

Ellie shakes her head, a frown on her face.

"Nothing at all?"

She shakes her head another time but this time her hair hits Annie in the face. "Nope, no footsie under the table, no leg brushing against mine, no accidently touching my arse."

"You want to him to grope your arse? Gross, Ellie." Annie scrunches her nose in disgust and I struggle to swallow my orange juice. The thought of Isaac groping Ellie's arse is quite disturbing.

"Well, I would rather have him snog me senseless but I mean… I wouldn't really mind if he gropes my arse. At least it means he notices that I have a nice arse," she muses, biting off part of her toast.

"Not that the arse groping topic isn't interesting and all, but how about we move on to another topic?" I nod, agreeing with Annie.

Ellie finishes off her toast and brushes the crumbs off her hands. "Okay, how about Blaine Zabini?"

Annie immediately seems more interested in the plate in front of her. She does this every time she hears the name Blaine Zabini, you know… the diverting her attention thing. She's done this so often it's probably more of an instinct than something she makes herself do.

"He's a good friend of Albus," I start.

"Lucky, you get to be around him more often. He's gotten hotter over the summer and I didn't even know that was possible," Ellie continues the conversation, her words louder to make sure Annie hears them clearly.

"And his eyes are even more gorgeous up close. They remind me of chocolate." Did I mention that Annie has a weakness for chocolate?

"Have you seen him shirtless then? You've been to their dorm, right?"

"Okay, okay. Stop torturing me! What do you want to know?" Even Annie cracks at the mention of a guy's toned abs. The Ravenclaw Quidditch team may be nice shirtless but nothing compared to the Slytherin Quidditch team. Or well… that's what most girls say. Maybe now that I'm with the Slytherin Team Quidditch Captain I can visit their changing rooms and see for myself.

"Oh you the know, the usual," Ellie replies, feeling hopeful. The usual is that if she likes him yet. Last time we asked was the end of last school year.

She gives us a sad smile, light reflecting off of her violet eyes."No." Ellie's shoulders sag in disappointment.

"I think you guys should give up on the dream that I'll fall for him. It's been almost three years, I doubt he even likes me anymore." Annie picks up her goblet while Ellie turns around and sure enough Blaine is at the Slytherin table trying to focus on his conversation with Scorpius but he's watching us from the corner of his eye.

Yeah, he's totally over her.

Not.

"Sureee." Ellie motions her head at the Slytherin table and Annie follows her line of sight. Their eyes meet before Annie drops her gaze and switches her focus to me. "Don't you have a date you are supposed to be getting ready for?"

"Depends, what time is it?"

"9:30am."

My eyes widen and I stand up from my seat and Annie and Ellie follow suit. I don't miss the happy smile on Blaine's face as we exit the Great Hall.

When we make it to the Ravenclaw Common Room, Ellie goes off to wake up the boys while Annie and I run up the stairs to the girls dorms. I twist the knob and the door swings open. Naomi is still in bed but Gemma's bed is already made in that perfect way of hers. I almost stop to roll my eyes.

I run to the wardrobe I share with Ellie, knowing that Naomi can sleep through almost anything. No joke, she slept peacefully through a loud thunderstorm once. She didn't even roll over.

"Do you know what you are wearing?" Annie questions, taking a seat on my bed.

"I think so." I have a vague idea of my outfit. I throw off my jumper and pull on a flowy, floral tank. I push off my leggings and shimmy into a pair of light-washed skinny jeans. Sorting through some drawers, I find my pastel pink cardigan that'll match with the top I have on. Putting my arms through the sleeves, I start to pull on my white converse.

"Converse?"

"It's not like I have impress him, he's already stuck with me," I explain as she hands me some mascara.

I quickly apply it, trying hard not to poke myself. I've never got the hang of it since I don't wear it daily. Ellie, on the other hand, can do it with her eyes closed.

Grabbing a hair tie, I pull my long, thick hair into a ponytail. Annie shakes her head at me.

"You should just leave it out." Following her advice, I pull off the hair band with slight difficulty.

She hands me my leather handbag and I pull it over my head. "I already put everything in there."

I mouth a thank you to her as I dash out the door.

When I make it to the Great Hall entrance, he's already there, his back facing me. He turns to the sound of my running feet. My breath catches in my throat, not from the sight of him, mind you, but from my beating heart and the scratchy feeling in my throat. Maybe I shouldn't have quit the Quidditch team, it would have saved me from the stupid half smirk Albus is giving me and the ragged breaths coming out of my mouth.

"You're late." His fingers twist my hair, fixing it before letting it go. His eyes shift away, gaze somewhere behind me.

I crane my neck to see a blonde mop of perfectly positioned hair and blue-green eyes observing us from a few feet. She isn't wearing her usual heels, instead opting for a pair of comfortable shoes, a lot like mine actually. Her head tilts to the left, her pale lips twitching up in her all too common smirk (something about it reminds me of someone familiar). She knows something. She _always_ knows somethings. Her breakfast must be a plate full of secrets with an extra strong cup of gossip.

She takes a step closer to us before changing her mind and staying where she is. One of her eyelids close, revealing a thin line of eyeliner and a thick coat of mascara.

Did Ronan wink at Albus… or someone else?

A rough hand grabs mine, gently pulling me more toward its owner.

In the moment my eyes leave Ronan, an idea formulates. My heart is screaming at me, telling me not to do it but my brain seems interested in it. Who needs to listen to their heart anyway?

Angling my body toward Albus, I tug on his emerald green jumper. He pulls his eyes away from the blonde to glance at me, a look of puzzlement flashing on his face before his jaw clenches, his controlled demeanor back on.

My left hand grabs his left and my right grabs his right, guiding them before placing them on my lower back. He doesn't make any movement. Slowly, I slide them down and before Albus can do anything about it, his hands are right on top of my arse.

He finally reacts, lips pressing against each other in laughter. I don't mind, though. The situation itself is pretty hilarious. The girl who hates showing PDA letting her boyfriend grope her arse in front of twenty some people? Ronan will have a field day!

Albus leans his head forward, forehead touching mine, hiding his laugh from the rest of the crowd. "It's very flattering that you're okay with letting me touch your arse and all but there really is no need," he breathes. His lips brush my nose before he moves away, hands dropping off my behind and moving to twine his fingers through mine.

"It'll make a nice story though," I whisper so he can only hear me as we walk out of the castle.

"That it will."

"So where to first?"

The village is crowded today. Students take up most of the space on the street, huddled together in groups. A weak wind blows through every few minutes but it isn't as cold as I thought it would be. My hand is warm is Albus' as we squeeze our way through the crowd.

"How about Honeydukes?" I suggest. He nods and in a couple minutes we are in front of the sweet shop. I get to the door first and shove it open with my shoulder while Albus follows suit.

The shop is hands down my favorite one in Hogsmeade. With shelves full of every kind of chocolate and candy, how couldn't it be? Annie, Isaac and I all have a sweet tooth so this place is basically our heaven on Earth.

"I'm going to go by where the chocolate frogs are," I shout to Albus. It's loud in here. Students of every year are looking to find their favorite goodies as well as professors.

I grab a handful of chocolate frogs and chocolate wands. I then push my way to where all the different types of fudge are lined up. I pick out some milk and dark chocolate ones and a few toffee ones for Isaac. He's kind of obsessed with toffee but he claims that he is just bewitched with it's taste.

I find Albus at the front of the shop, checking out the shelf with all of the new products they are testing out. Some of them end up tasting great while others are okay, not ones you would enjoy all too much.

"Hey." I come up behind him. He rotates to see me and looks down at my pile of pastries.

"So you're a chocolate person?"

"Why? Aren't you a chocolate person?"

"I'm more of hard candy person actually."

"Why am I dating you again?" I tease as we stand in line for the register. The line is about eight people long at the moment and is growing by the minute.

"That would be because of my good looks, of course." He motions to his (extremely) fit body. Thank Merlin, he isn't shirtless because I would probably be staring if he was. So I like fit guys, bite me. But seriously, who doesn't?

"Nah... I think it's because of the all-access pass to the Slytherin changing rooms," I joke. Well... maybe I'm joking.

He laughs an airy laugh, hands stuffed into the pockets of his denims. "Didn't know you had it in you to take advantage, Ms. Herseth."

"But you don't know a lot about me, do you?" He really doesn't.

"That I don't." At least he admits it.

"So... what's your favorite candy?" I try to keep the conversation going. The line is down to six people in front of me but I have a good feeling that it isn't going to shrink to five anytime soon. The customer at the register is being obnoxious and complaining about the price.

"But my friend came here last week and it was 2 Sickles and 3 knuts each!"

"That was last week-"

"I don't care if that was last week's price! I want the same price for it!"

"But Ma'am it's 60 knuts now and that's l-"

"Don't ma'am me! I will not let you cheat me-"

"60 KNUTS IS LESS THAN 2 SICKLES AND THREE KNUTS!" a voice shouts.

The girl who had been yelling just a few moment ago answers, "Okay, sheesh. No need to yell. What's got your knickers in a twist?" Can you hear my eyes rolling? Albus snickers from next to me, he probably finds this whole situation funny.

"You still haven't answered my question," I remind him.

"Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans and Liquorice Wands. You?"

"Chocolate Frogs," I answer with a smile on my face.

He scrunches up his nose. "I never did get what all the hype around those is about."

"Maybe because it's good?" They really are. I usually keep a stash of them somewhere in the dorm. One year, Ellie found my stash and for revenge for something I did (it was some time ago so I don't remember what) she gave them to Annie. Once Annie found out it was actually mine, she gave them back but by then half of it was already gone.

"I don't know. They hop around too much and I find the cards really annoying." The line moves and we step forward. We are almost to the front. If only these people would stop fumbling with their money and move out of the line, then this process would be much faster.

"I used to find the cards really interesting when I was eight or nine but now I don't really pay attention to them." At the time I collected them, I got all of them except for Chauncey Oldridge, the first known victim of Dragon Pox.

"Most of the ones I ever opened, had one of my family members, especially Dad," he explains, eyes forward. I know for a fact that Lily's a Daddy's girl even though she looks a lot like her mum and James is a mummy's boy though he never admits it. And Albus? Well… I don't really know about him. All I know is what everyone else knows: he looks a lot like his Dad.

"Oh, yeah he does come up a lot in those cards." He gives me a tight-lipped smile and I can't help but ask a personal question. Curiosity really needs to stop getting the best of me. "Do you get along well with your Dad?"

He doesn't take too long to answer. "We get along fine. He's very accepting of who I am and I appreciate that, I guess. When I was younger, he was more protective of me than Lily and James but not anymore since I can look after myself and all. I think it kind of shocked him a little of how Slytherin I turned out to be."

I nod, feeling like I now know a bit more than I wanted to. In the past, James had a hard time getting along with Mr. Potter. They weren't on the same page and James didn't take him being the savior and always being called by the Ministry too well. But they're working on it. James being more mature now is warming up to his dad more, but they're still a little rocky as James told me at the beginning of this year.

"You aren't that Slytherin." He raises an eyebrow at me. "Okay, you are very Slytherin but that doesn't mean you can't be anything else."

His forehead creases in thought. "Explain."

"You know how we have houses and all?" He nods. "And they have traits to them like for Gryffindor, it's bravery and chivalry but just because you are a Gryffindor doesn't mean you are just brave. You can be ambitious too which is a Slytherin trait or creative like a Ravenclaw or patient like a Hufflepuff." Albus snorts at the last part in disbelief. "Okay maybe if you are a Gryffindor, you can't be patient because almost all of them act before they think but anyway, you don't have to be restricted to one house's qualities, you know?"

He nods, showing intrigue in my thoughts. He's a good listener, I decide. "I see what you mean. So what do you think I am?"

I stumble over my words through my answer. "You're intelligent, that's for sure since you have the highest grade in Potions. You're honest when you want to be… I guess. But you're most likely a good liar too since you're devious a lot of the time." He chuckles before motioning me with his hand to continue. "Umm… you value friendship? Or it looks like it since you and Scorpius are really close and so are you and Blaine. And you're wise? It seems like you are since you aren't spouting crap all the time like most people. And…" I run out of things to say. "Can I be done?" He nods, a smile on his face. On my resume I'm definitely putting down that I made Albus Potter smile. That's an achievement if there is one.

I look up to see that we're finally at the counter. I pour out my candy onto the register and grab a couple coins out of my purse. Albus, however, seems to have already taken out his money and is handing it to the cashier. Oh, no. He is _not_ doing that.

"Here, that should be enough," I say, trying to pull Albus' hand full of knuts and sickles away from the cashier. He doesn't budge.

The middle-aged woman at the counter looks at us, her eyes darting between us. "Oh, how sweet," she coos. Sweet, my arse lady. Just take my money, not his. But, of course, she takes his. As she rings us up she goes on about how adorable it is that Albus is paying and how she misses being a teenage and… I honestly don't pay attention to the rest of her babble.

"You didn't have to do that," I hiss under my breath.

"It's only a few galleons," he whispers back. This goes on between us 'til the cashier stops mumbling about who knows what.

"I could have played for my own sweets, thank you very much."

"I didn't say you couldn't. I was being polite."

"No, you were paying for _my_ sweets with _your_ money when I wanted to buy it with _my_ own money. That's being rude."

He rolls his eyes at me (and the lady who is still chattering away). "It's called being a gentleman. What kind of guy doesn't pay for their date's-"

"Is that all?" she chirps at us, looking at us expectantly. She has a sickeningly sweet smile on her face and the purple hat perched on top of her head looks like it's about to fall off.

"Actually, can I get a few of every new product you have." My eyes widen while the cashier looks like she's about to dance on the spot. She's probably thinking she's going to get a promotion or something.

It takes a few minutes for her to bag everything for us and Albus hands over several more coins. As we bustle out of the still crowded shop she yells, "Hope you two lovebirds have a great rest of the day!"

When we make it outside, the streets are clearer. You can actually see the cobblestone walkway and the colourful displays of the various stores.

We end up sitting on a bench nearby, his legs stretched out in front of him while mine are folded under my chin. At first I don't talk to him much, still a little annoyed at his show of gentlemen-ness, but it isn't look before we are both testing out all of the new Honeydukes sweet, deciding on which ones we like.

"Ew, this one has cherry syrup inside."

"Don't like cherry?"

"I don't like to mix fruits and chocolate."

"This sugar quill doesn't taste good."

"That's because it's cheese flavoured."

"Nasty, who ever even thought of this?"

"Crap, I think I ate an acid pop. I can't feel a part of my tongue."

"Open up, let's see your tongue. Wait… no it isn't an acid pop… you don't have a hole in your tongue."

"Thank Merlin."

"This is a… crystallised grape."

"Does it taste good?"

"Yeah."

"... this taste horrid. Ugh, get this taste out of mouth."

"Yeah… I kind of lied."

"Git."

"Here have some chocolate."

"... this isn't chocolate."

"Then what is it?"

"I don't know! Read the label."

"Oh….. _oh_. Well that's not good."

"What is it?"

"Earwax."

"What?!"

"I'm joking, it's this weird combination of tamarind, chocolate and nugget."

"Well… it tastes disgusting. Never get it again."

Next, we end up going to Spintwitches Quidditch Supplies. They have a shipment of new gloves Albus wants to take a look at.

"They have Bulgarian leather which doesn't tear easily," the shop owner explains.

"What do you think?" Albus asks me. I take the glove from him and weigh it. It's heavy, which may make it last a bit longer but will make you too uncomfortable. The leather is nice, I have to admit but it's color will fade away in due time. The fingers are also a bit thinner than I expected. They'll tear sooner rather than later.

"Not worth it," I whisper so the shopkeeper doesn't hear me.

"I thought as much." He places it down and starts to inspect some of the Quidditch goggles. I pick up a magazine and flip through it. It's not the usual one I read and now I know why I don't. It's filled with more about the Professional Quidditch players personal lives rather than actual quidditch. It does have some nice posters though, the one of Krum is very distracting.

Albus comes up behind me and catches me unaware. Before I can shut it, he spots Krum. "Aunt Hermione dated him once. She said he was a very nice guy and went to a ball with him or something. Uncle Ron still goes red anytime someone in the family mentions him. Is he your _one_?"

"What?" What does he mean by my _one_?

"You know, every girl who is even remotely interested in Quidditch always has a Quidditch player they basically worship."

"One, I don't worship him. And two, no, he's not my _one_."

"Then who is your _one_?" He crosses his arms over his chest and props himself up against one of the shelves filled with snitches.

"You really want to know?" I sigh.

"Yeah."

"Stephen Leary." Light brown, windblown hair, gorgeous hazel eyes and a few freckles equal very hot. Not to mention his abs…

"The Chudley Cannons Keeper?" He snorts and my eyes narrow just a bit.

"How can you not like Stephen Leary?" Really, there is nothing wrong with him. He isn't a playboy, he's kind _and_ funny, and his Keeper skills are fantastic.

"I'm not a fan of the Chudley Cannons." He shrugs.

"Holyhead Harpies, right?" I ask remembering part of a conversation I had with him and James a month or so ago.

"Well they are better than the Canons."

I scoff. "You're just biased because your Mum played on that team. And they don't compare to the Canons."

"Uh huh, sure," he mumbles, sarcasm twined into his words as he picks up a beater's bat. I pick up another magazine but Albus takes the moment to ask me a question. "So... if you don't mind me asking... why did you quit the Quidditch team?"

You know how in school there is that one year you really don't want to remember? Like if you could, you would just completely erase it from your memory? Whether it is because you had gained weight that year or because your hair was styled weird or because you had an obsession with some celebrity that you now cannot stand? Yeah, that is what fifth year was for me. Everything just kind of escalated downhill starting with Fred cheating, a break up I still couldn't completely understand, the Ronan Daily basically making me look like some easy slag, me quitting the Quidditch team right before The Winter Holidays, and all the pitiful glances thrown my way in the hallway. It's kind of sad that it was just last school year so it's still fresh in my mind, unwilling to let go.

"I thought you already knew why."

"I know the rumours." His voice is softer than usual. Maybe that's what makes me tell him: the sound of his soft voice, the sound of his blurred at the edge words.

"You know how sometimes something just happens... and it kind of just makes you wake up, like you can see more clearly and I kind of needed that because I was beyond confused about everything." And hurt. Really hurt. "At the time I just wanted to make my life simple again if that makes any sense. So I kind of condensed everything, I kept the fews things I loved most and pushed all of the other things away because in the end, I felt they were unnecessary."

"And Quidditch was unnecessary?" he questions, no judgement in his voice.

"Yeah, at the moment it was. I still love Quidditch, you know? Like I can't absolutely get rid of it but I decided I didn't find as much joy as I did before being on the team so... I gave up my position. It wasn't easy but my friends were supportive and that's all that mattered. They were okay with it and if they weren't then I probably would have went back and rejoined but they were. Not to mention it was OWL year, it would have been a distraction in the end." I let go of the the magazine cover I had kept on flipping back and forth. I gaze up to see Albus watching me. His eyes, a forest of green. They leave me awestruck. I've known that his eyes are beautiful but it's easy to forget with the facade he puts on.

I shake my head to clear my thoughts and he coughs. I hadn't even noticed that we'd gone silent. He rubs the back of his neck, looking boyish. He opens his mouth to say something but decides against it.

"Um... do you want to get out of here?" he finally gets out.

"Yeah." He opens the door and we're back outside. My stomach takes that as a que to let out a growl.

"Three broomsticks?"

"Sure," I answer, thankful for lunch. I'm hungry which my stomach had made an excellent job of pointing out.

The pub is warm and busy. It takes some time for us to locate an empty table. Albus pulls out a chair for me and I sit down. He takes the seat opposite me.

I drum my hands on the dark wood table as I look around to see who is here. Scorpius and Blaine are in a corner with Kian and Sebastian. Kian spots me and winks. I smile. My eyes continue to search. The Ravenclaw Quidditch Captain is a few feet away with his longtime girlfriend. I don't spot any of the Ravenclaw sixth years sadly. I haven't seen Annie and Ellie since the morning and I haven't seen Seth or Isaac today.

A group of friends get up from a table a couple feet away from ours. The table is quickly cleared and a few seconds later two people take a seat. One is a blonde and another is her dark-haired acquaintance. The blonde gives me her devil smirk. I turn away.

"Know what you want to order?"

"Fish and chips and a butterbeer." I smile and Albus gets up to go place in our orders.

He comes back a few minutes later with a platter of shepherd's pie with garden salad, my fish and chips and two butterbeers.

"Thanks." I dig in, trying not to glance to the right where Ronan is keeping an eye on us. I focus as hard as I can on my food, burning a hole with my eyes. Albus notices when I drop my fork.

"You okay?" He picks up the piece of silverware before I can and hands it to me.

"Look to your right," I sigh. He follows my directions and his eyes widen just a bit. "What do you think she's doing here?"

"Other than spy on us you mean?" I bow my head in a yes.

"With her it could be anything or nothing at all." What kind of answer is that?

"Should we ignore her then?"

"We can't do anything else, can we?"

And that's what we do. We ignore her and talk about everything else, anything else. We talk about the British and Irish Quidditch league and OWL scores. (Turns out Albus is really smart. Honestly he got 5 Outstandings and 2 Exceeding Expectations.) It's pretty easy to make conversation with him. It's like we're almost close friends. At one point we start talking about Gabby and James, not separately but like an item.

"They seem like good friends."

"Just good friends?"

"Okay, maybe a little more but they've been girlfriend and boyfriend, somethings bound to still be there."

"They only did that to distract Ronan."

"That doesn't mean nothing stayed."

"So when we decide to call this off there is still going to be something between us."

"That's a whole different situation."

"How?"

"With Gabby and James, you have two Gryffindors… no offense to them but they are bound to accidently get some sort of feelings for each other. It's just how they are."

"And us?"

"With us we're talking about a Ravenclaw and Slytherin. We're not stupid enough to mess up."

"You sure about that?"

"Why are you going to mess up?"

"I was talking about me."

"Me," he snorts, "highly doubt it."

"We'll see when the time comes."

When we're finished with our food, we walk out, hand in hand. Ronan's nowhere in sight.

"So anywhere else?" he questions. It's around 3-ish and the sky is still a deep medium blue.

"How about Weasley's Wizard Wheezes?"

" _You_ want to go to Wheezes?" I want to go to the shop whose owner is my ex's dad. I know, I'm brilliant.

"Yeah, George is really nice." I'm also still on first name basis with my ex's dad. Talk about awkward.

"Okay, if you really want."

"I do."

We make our way to the shop with the most colorful displays and brightest signs. When Albus opens the door, a bell rings and we head inside.

"Roxy, can you bring that box of Extendable Ears up?"

"Which box is it?"

"The purple one."

"Oh, got it."

"Hey, Uncle George!" Albus greets. The ginger-haired man turns to see his nephew. A grin breaks out on his face. He gives him a brief bug.

"Al, haven't seen you around for some time! How's school? Wrecking havoc hopefully?"

"No, that's still James." He moves so George can get a look at me. Okay… so I may have been hiding behind him. I know I'm the one who wanted to come but… I'm nervous, sue me. "You know Aaliyah."

George blinks before his lips break out into another grin. He comes up and gives me a tight hug. "Aaliyah! I haven't seen you for so long. Why is that? Getting to sick of good ol' George?"

"No, I've been a bit busy with schoolwork and all."

"Schoolwork? You Ravenclaws and your studying," he jokes. He sees me glance around and answers the question I've been thinking. "No, Fred's not here."

He doesn't ask about what's going on between his nephew and I but I see the question in his eyes. That and the fact that he keeps glancing between the two of us kind of gives it away.

We don't stay there too long. After Roxy comes to the front, a sort of coldness starts to spread so I don't feel as comfortable.

We don't go anywhere after. We just take a stroll. It's pretty peaceful 'til the door of a shop bursts open and Ellie pops her head out. "Aaliyah!"

"Ellie?" She comes out and stops in front of us.

"Potter," she says in greeting. "Mind if I steal your girlfriend from a moment?"

I turn to him. "It's fine. You go ahead. I need to catch up with Scorpius and Blaine anyway."

Ellie pulls me into Tomes and Scrolls and the rest of the gang is there.

"Look who I found!"

"Hey, Aaliyah!" Isaac yells from somewhere in the back.

"Come on." We head to the back of the bookshop, passing shelves of books as we go. "Hypocrite, you scold me about arse grabbing this morning and then I find out you let your boyfriend do it to you in front of the Great Hall entrance. Naughty, naughty girl."

"How'd you find out about that?"

"Word goes around."

* * *

 **A/N: The ending of this chapter is not my favorite. It just feels like I didn't close it off right. Hopefully I'll come back with a better ending. Also, thank you to Bookworm742 and the guest who left reviews last chapter! They really made me smile. Right now for some reason I can't respond to them but once that function is back I'll do so.**

 **As always, thanks for reading and don't hesitate to drop me a line.**


	10. Aaliyah: The Warning

You know how in every school there is that _one_ girl all the other girls are jealous of. Like almost to the extreme. In Hogwarts, that _one_ girl is definitely Dominique Weasley.

Her genes are perfect. With the exception of her strawberry blonde hair or that's what Dom says anyways. She wishes she got stuck with her mom's silvery blonde hair. That luck however had gone to Victoire, her older sister.

I never did understand what all the fuss was about. She pulls off strawberry blonde better than anyone else I've ever seen. Not that I actually no any other person with the same hair color but you know what I mean.

She's actually pretty smart too which is kind of hard to tell since her favorite topic is… you guessed it: boys.

"How about Owen Wilson? 6 or 7?" she asks spooning some eggs into her mouth. Her light eyes are zeroed in on my house Quidditch Captain who just so happens to be spending time with his girlfriend at the Ravenclaw table.

"He has a girlfriend," I remind her.

"Oh, I know. That doesn't mean I can't rate him though, right." She doesn't ask this as a question, it's rhetorical so I just give her my honest opinion.

"8."

"That high?" Dom's eyes widen and she looks back at him to see if she missed anything. Even Gabby looks at me quizzically, a spoon of pudding in her mouth.

"He's a pretty nice guy." I shrug in explanation.

Dom whips her head to look at me again, her tone one of a mother who thinks you are being silly. "Oh honey, ratings are solely based on looks." Gabby snots, twirling her spoon in her pudding.

"What would you give him Gabs?" Dom turns her attention to my sister who is sitting beside her looking bored.

She shrugs and with a half grimace says, "five."

Dom frowns. "That low?" Gabby bobs her head, golden blonde hair bouncing with her as she does.

"I guess nothing compares to James then," Dom mutters under her breath and I struggle to keep my juice from going up my nose.

"No, it's just that he's a Ravenclaw."

"So? What's wrong with Ravenclaws?" I question. We like learning. We can actually hold a serious conversation and we wear blue. Who doesn't like people who wear blue?

"Too annoyingly smart and too witty," Gabby answers offhandedly, pushing her pudding back and forth, clearly done with it.

"Would you rather go over a huge pride and suffocating ego?"

"You are talking to the person who dated James," Dom points out, quietly watching the half-assed argument unravel.

"I just don't like guys that are that put together, that's all."

"There isn't anything wrong with put together."

"Aaliyah even you don't go for put together."

Actually,it isn't even an argument. Not even bickering. We're just disagreeing with no source of emotion connected to our words. We're just talking. I think we got tired of arguing a while back and now we are just on a clean slate. What emotionless monsters we are becoming.

"Albus is put together."

"Al is a Slytherin with tricks up his sleeve. He isn't put together in a good way." She sighs, as if it's a fact she wishes she didn't know but she does.

"Ayy, that's my baby cousin," Dom interjects.

"Are you saying you don't trust him?"

She can't not trust him. It's Albus. Gabby knows him better than anyone just like James knows me.

"I don't know." She holds my eyes, another sigh escaping her.

I stand up, still holding her gaze. There isn't much to say anymore. "I'm going to head to class."

When I turn away to to leave she says one more thing, "Be careful with him."

"What do you mean?" I look back and she seems unsure.

"Nothing." She shakes her head. I nod and head out the Great Hall, beyond confused. One thing is clear though: she knows something about Albus that makes her suspicious. Whatever it is… I oddly don't want to know what it is. Curiosity did kill the cat after all.

* * *

"Our chaser needs improvement before the game against Gryffindor. I mean he can catch the Quaffle fine and flies pretty damn good for a fourth year but his aim is still kind of off." Ellie goes on about Quidditch as we walk on to Muggle Studies. We were the only sixth year Ravenclaws who took the subject past OWLs. This may have been due to fact that the rest of the Ravenclaws thought that you could learn about Muggles easily on your free time and that it was a waste of a class. I didn't agree with them. "Hugo Weasley is too talented of a keeper for Hayes to be slacking off. I mean the kid is good. I still think Seth is better but damn can that kid block."

"Why doesn't Seth help him outside of practices?" Seth wouldn't mind giving in extra time if it helped the team in the long run that I knew for sure. The problem would be if he had the time. He was taking eight NEWT level classes like Ellie and Isaac.

"Wilson hasn't asked Seth to yet. He still thinks Hayes will improve with a few more practices but I don't think he'll be in shape in time without extra training outside of practices."

"How long is it till the game? Three weeks?" It's the first full week of November and you can feel the Quidditch buzz in the hallways. Some students had already started placing bets on the first match that was next weekend: Slytherin vs. Hufflepuff. The Ravenclaw vs. Gryffindor one was at the end of the month and it was going to be an intense one.

"Nineteen days," Ellie corrects me, some worry showing in her usual confident face.

"It'll turn out just fine. Half the school is rooting for Ravenclaw." We turn a corner and start to walk faster. We only have a few minutes till class started. Our talking had slowed us down.

"The Slytherins are only rooting for us because they don't like the Gryffindors and because they think they can take us on rather than them at the finals. And our house is obligated to support us," Ellie rushes out as we speed walk to the end of corridor.

"The Gryffindors aren't _that_ good." It's true. They aren't _that_ great. They are just very intimidating and have the best brooms in the school. Okay so maybe they are kind of sort of good.

"We haven't won a match against them since our fourth year when you were still a part of the team." I stab of guilt washes over me. It's been a year almost but I have a feeling a lot of the house still blames me for Ravenclaw's lose of the cup to Slytherin last year. "And the Gryffindors haven't won the cup in two years. The team is made of two Potters and two Weasleys and my cousin… they're going to do whatever it takes to secure the cup this year. It is James Potter's last year, they're going to make it memorable." She had a point there. The Gryffindor team was known for their unity just like the Ravenclaw team was known for their plays and the tactics, the Slytherin team for their sheer skill and the Hufflepuff team for fair play.

In all my years attending Hogwarts no house could keep the cup long. In first year it was Hufflepuff, second and third year it was Gryffindor, fourth was Ravenclaw and last year it was Slytherin. Hufflepuff may have had a chance this year but they had a lousy seeker. Ravenclaw and Slytherin's teams were a force to reckon with. However, there was something about the lions this year. You could feel it in the air.

We finally made it to the classroom. We both took a seat in the middle of the classroom. I looked around. The room was filling in with students. There were a few Hufflepuffs in the front and some of the Gryffindors had already taken their seats. I spot Louis Weasley's dirty blonde hair in the crowd of scarlet ties and robes. I note that Scorpius' back seat is empty and take my seat. Ellie and I resume our Quidditch discussion.

"How's your boyfriend holding up?" Ellie asks still not calling ALbus by his first name.

"Don't know. He's been busy with Quidditch. Last time I saw him was during Hogsmeade." I probably should check up on him. I haven't seen Scorpius around much either other than some classes.

"The pressure is getting to him just like the rest of us. I'd rather take on Hufflepuff than Gryffindor any day. Not the mention the captain will look really filled out in his gear." I roll my eyes at her and push her by the shoulder.

"That's your competition, Clarke."

"There is nothing wrong with admiring a fit bloke," Ellie defends, half serious.

"What would Isaac say?" I tease.

"Isaac who?" she asks in a dream state, most likely still thinking about the fit captain. I laugh and she joins. We stop when a certain blonde takes a sit in front of us.

"Don't you two get bored of talking about Quidditch all the time? That's all anyone talks about these days. It's so," she pauses, thinking of the right word,"nauseating." Her voice takes an annoyed tone and her lips turn down in a frown. Her beige blonde hair is tied up in a ponytail and she had opted for plain black ballet flats instead of the usual noisy heals. No wonder we hadn't been able to hear her.

"Oh Ronan, are you disappointed that everyone's taken more interest in something other than your dumb newspaper?" Ellie cooes, a fake smile on display.

"Clarke, don't talk about anything you don't know about. And take the word dumb out of your vocabulary, it makes you sound like a muppet," Charlotte states, shutting Ellie up for now.

"Shouldn't you be pleased? You get to write about the first match of the year." I asked, no bite in my voice. There isn't any need to start something.

Ronan seems to consider this. "Quidditch matches aren't really my forte. And it's a Slytherin and Hufflepuff match, nothing exciting can happen. Just some balls going through hoops and some minor injuries here and there. All you need to know is the end score and blab about how great the winning team did etcetra etcetra." She rolls her eyes to emphasis how extremely mundane she thought the sport was.

"Shouldn't you be there though? I mean your house is playing. Though I did always think you possessed more Slytherin traits. Maybe you could be cheer for their side. I'm sure they'll appreciate the moral support." Ellie coats this insult with in false sweetness. I try to fight a smile. She never did like keeping her thoughts to herself.

"Aw Clarke, you think I could have been a Slytherin? I'm so touched." Ronan puts a hand to where her heart should have been but, for all we know, she doesn't have one. "I always did believe you should have been in Hufflepuff with your deep loyalty to your friends." She shoots me a look, clearly referring to me. "I never did think you were smart enough for Ravenclaw. But who knows maybe you do have some wit deep somewhere. Really deep." She smiles at Ellie tauntingly and I can see Ellie turning pink in both embarrassment and annoyance.

"Ronan, I don't think you are the right person to comment on another's intelligence. I mean... last time I checked you didn't even pass your Charms OWL and Charms is quite a soft subject, don't you think?" Ronan's eyes narrow, not expecting for me to make a sound and just sit quietly as she insults my friend. I think not.

Before she can say anything else Professor Wright calls the class to attention. "Good morning class! Please pass your essays on your preferred way of Muggle transportation to the left. I'll collect them at the aisle." Immediately, the sound of rustling parchment fills the room as students search and hand in the assignment. I pass mine to Ellie and she puts mine on top of hers as she hands in to the professor. Professor Wright smiles at the two of us and goes on her way to collect the rest.

Professor Wright is one of the nicer teachers at Hogwarts. By the looks of it she's in the early thirties and her bright copper hair adds to her positive aura. She's like the female version of Professor Regan, the guys all think she is hot. I guess that explains why there are more guys in Muggle Studies this year than girls.

I feel a nudge on arm. I turn to see Ellie's attention on Louis Weasley. Well this can't be good. "Is he still dating Amelie?"

"I think so," I shrug, unsure. Ellie has never found the Weasley-Potter bunch that interesting with the exception of Louis Weasley. She's had her eyes on him since third year; however, he's always taken. I'm hoping he'll stay like that then maybe,just maybe, her and Isaac will happen.

"I wouldn't waste too much time on him, Clarke. He's still with that Wood girl. If I were you I would stick to Lewis," interrupts Ronan, her body twisted to face us.

"Mind your own business, would you," Ellie snaps. Ronan shrugs this time.

"I heard Fred Weasley has been asking about you." She directs this at me. I busy myself with getting some quills, parchment and ink out.

"I think you heard wrong," I mutter finally.

"I don't know… my sources are pretty reliant," Ronan pushes on. "Haven't you ever wondered why he did what he did? Did he ever tell you?" Something must have shown in my eyes because she starts _tsk_ ing. "What a naughty boy. It's the least he could have done." It is the least he could have done. "Don't you ever think about it?" All the time. "I mean if it was me I would think about it all time-"

"Drop it, Ronan." I breathe a sigh of relief, glad Ellie said something. I can feel my fingers separate from the fists I had made unconsciously.

The devious blonde smirks to herself and faces the front where Professor Wright is explaining passports and airport security.

"You okay, Aaliyah?" Ellie whispers as we scribble notes.

I nod in answer and keep scratching words onto the parchment layed out on my desk.

When class ends, I place my notes and supplies in my bag. When I look back at my text a folded piece of parchment lays there. I look around but no one seems to have left it. I cautiously pick it up and unfold it. Scanning it quickly, my eyebrows pinch together in contemplation.

"Ready to go?" Ellie questions from next to me, not noticing the message. I nod and push the paper that reads 'If you want to know why meet me at the Astronomy Tower. 8pm. Don't be late.' to the bottom of my bag.

Later that evening I find myself in the dungeon. Potions class had ended and I had told Ellie and Annie to head to dinner without me. My mind races with Charlotte Ronan's questions. One question keeps ringing in my head: _How did she know why Fred cheated on me?_ After this long I just assumed he did it because he got bored of me… was there actually a reason?

I shake my head, forbidding myself to go back to those thoughts. At this time I can't even register where I'm going. A breeze passes by and I shiver. I should probably head up to the Great Hall. It's too cold down here. Who knows how Albus and Scorpius stand the chill.

I pull my cloak closer and keep walking. I end up being too engrossed in my thoughts to notice the footsteps behind me.

I hear his familiar voice before I turn to look at him.

"Aaliyah, we need to talk."

* * *

" _Do you want to tell me what this is about?" I hold up the Ronan Daily so he can get a clear look at the headline 'FRED WEASLEY CAUGHT CHEATING: HOGWARTS 'IT' COUPLE FINALLY IN SHAMBLES?' and moving picture of him snogging the daylights out of a girl up against the wall. It was impossible to tell who it was, her face was blocked by her hair._

 _Fred doesn't say anything for a while. He stands there, staring down at his feet, his tie put on backwards. I almost let out a scream._

 _We are currently at an abandoned corridor, no one is here but we are close enough to the Great Hall that we can hear the buzz of conversation. It's probably about us. No, Fred and I, not us. Us isn't a term I want to use with him anymore._

" _Are you going to even give me an answer?" My voice breaks a little. I almost curse at myself. Now is not the time for crying. Now is the time for answers._

 _I woke up this morning, a smile on my face. I had been dreaming about him and even as I was washing up, I thought about him. And I still had that stupid smile on my face when I entered the Great Hall, the noisiest place in the castle. But when I entered today it was completely silent and eyes from complete strangers were focused on me. It hadn't taken too long to find out why._

" _Aaliyah…" he stops. Is that all I'm going to get? My name?_

 _I shake my head, my eyes are watery but I blink all of it away. Maybe this is what it was meant to be because not everything works out. Everyone knows that I was just stupid enough to let myself believe that this would, that we would. "You know what," my voice crack again, "forget it."_

 _I turn around to leave but just as I do he says something. "I'm breaking up with you."_

 _I whip back around. He's breaking up with me? Him, the one that cheated? "What?" My voice come out as a whisper._

 _He doesn't look up at me. He hadn't looked at me in eye since he told me that we had to talk. Instead, he stares at his shoes. What a Gryffindor! No… I must stay calm. Anger leads to mistakes… must be calm._

" _I'm breaking up with you," he repeats. His jaws are clenched, his brown eyes burn lasers into the floor. I can't tell if he's mad or just trying to concentrate. I can't tell anything anymore._

" _So… that's it? You're going to break up with the girl you cheated on? You are not going to give me any answers on why you did what you did or whatever? You aren't even going to be decent enough to let me break up with you? Because what… huh? You want to save your image?" I'm getting louder and louder… I'm beginning to sound like I've gone hysterical… no… must be calm._

 _He doesn't say anything, nothing at all. The boy I've spent the last five months with stands there like a glorious statue with his muscular arms and tall structure and angular face and says absolutely nothing._

" _I thought you were special. You didn't feel the same way about me, did you?" I force out, pressing my lips together to keep them from trembling. The image of the two blurry bodies pressed up against each other still flashes in my head repeatedly, like someone keeps playing the same song over and over again even though I don't want to hear it. Please… make it stop._

" _Aaliyah, please." His voice isn't soft. It doesn't have the slight laugh that I'm used to or the joy that I crave. It's hard and demanding as if he's giving me an order. "Let this go and let me be." And the leaves, just like that. He moves past me and walks away._

 _In my mind I'm falling but in reality I'm still standing, my feet planted on the ground. There is a queasy feeling in my stomach. There is a whisper in my ear. 'It's over' it says but I know no one actually said it. No, it's my brain registering it. And then my stomach drops but my knees don't get the order to buckle because my brain never gave out that order._

 _My ears faintly register a flash and click. I don't make a move to do anything about it._

 _I stand there for some time, my eyes forward._

 _Forward. That's what I need to do._

 _Move forward._

 _And that's what I try to do._

 _Move forward._

* * *

 **A/N: And what Fred did is out! But the drama is just beginning so we'll have to wait and see what happens next.**

 **On a side note I changed Dom's appearance as well as Lucy, though the latter isn't in this chapter. I'm going to back and edit it into the previous chapters. I had an easier time picturing Dom as a strawberry blonde while Lucy is more of a dirty blonde.**

 **Also, I'm still having trouble responding to certain reviews. If you used your username, I manually PMed you your response but I couldn't respond to any of the Guests. But thank you so much to everyone who has been taking the time to drop me a line. It means a lot.**

 **Lastly, any thoughts on Charlotte Ronan? Or Fred?**


	11. Albus: The Breakdown

Sometimes I forget how scary Hogwarts can be in the evening. The school is quite ancient and from time to time that piece of information slips out of my mind. At the moment, the corridors are empty, completely empty. This makes the place look even more old and haunted. But after dinner is over the emptiness will be gone… and the hallways will be alive once again.

Scorpius and Blaine are probably already at the Great Hall while I'm still stuck here walking, making my way through the vast place that is Hogwarts. To be honest, it isn't my fault that I'm not at dinner yet. The person that sat behind me, Leon Finnegan, messed up his potion which may or may not have made his cauldron explode. And guess who Reagan picked on to stay after and clean the mess with him? Me. What have I ever done to Finnegan?!

Sighing to myself, I turn the corner. I am so worn out (it had been a long day) that I don't notice the sound of soft weeping till it is only a few feet away.

The weeping isn't from an 'it', though.

No…

..Wait…

Is that…

… Aaliyah?

I walk towards her. She doesn't notice me.

Her hair- that is in what looks like a bun- is coming out in loose tendrils. It is slightly frizzy and falling into her eyes. Her shoulders are hunched down in forlornness.

I take a few more steps closer.

She notices this time.

She looks up, eyes wide. She tries to wipe away the tears as quickly as possible but they keep falling. She stares at me with her dark gray eyes and I stare back with my sharp green ones.

"Aaliyah…" I reach out for her but my hand freezes before I touch her face, her skin.

Nothing happens. For a few seconds- just a few - nothing happens. No breathing, no movement, nothing. And then the next things happens so quickly, too quickly for me to comprehend…

Aaliyah has me backed up against the wall. Her hands are on my collar and her forehead is pressed against mine. She leans on me heavily, her breathes crashing down on my face. Screw personal space, I guess.

"Aaliyah…"

"Kiss me." My eyes widen. Now this I didn't expect. Not in a million years.

"Aaliyah, are you-" she cuts me off.

"Shut up. Shut up and just kiss me," she mutters fast. She sounds so desperate and alone and , worst of all, broken. This is serious, really serious.

She squeezes her eyes shut. This causes more tears to fall down her pale cheeks. Drops of water cling to her long lashes and her freckles contrast against her skin. Her body shakes against mine like the vibrations of a beating drum.

This isn't good.

This is so not good.

...but at the moment, I'm frozen. I don't move, all I can do is watch her- watch her start to break down in pieces. _Come on, Potter. Get a hold of yourself._

Finally, when I regain my senses, I raise my hand to touch her. My skin meets hers and her eyes flash open from the contact. My eyes bore into a whirlpool of blurred gray, grassy green, and misty blue. Her eyes show a muddle of emotions and a swirl of different shades. I can't make out many of the emotions I see. Maybe surprise? Maybe grief? Maybe… fear?

"Aaliyah…" my words die out because she presses against me even more. if that is even possible. I can feel her lips lingering on mine. I try to draw back.

"Aaliyah, you aren't in the right state."

"Please," she whispers, her voice small.

I cup her face into my hands and tilt her head so she can look me in the eyes, and focus only on my eyes, not on my lips. "Aaliyah, you don't want this. You aren't thinking straight. You know that. I know that. Something has happened… don't try to deny it. You can tell me… o-okay, Aaliyah… are you okay?"

She doesn't answer. Closing my eyes, I breathe out a sigh and when I look at her again I know what to do. I slowly pry her off me so I can take her hand. I glance up and down the hallway to make sure no one is there; we don't need any eyes to have witnessed this and we don't need any mouths to tell this to Ronan. Not now. Not ever.

I lead her into an empty classroom nearby. I let her hand go to lock the door securely. When I turn, I see that she has already moved away from me and taken a seat on the ground on the other side of the room.

The room is a dark one with little light from the fading sun shining through a single window. A few tables are pushed up against the left wall, clearly abandoned. Tattered books are stacked in one corner and the other corners have some dust clinging to them.

I sit next to Aaliyah on the floor. I give her some space, a feet of space. I press my back to the wall and take a sideways glance at her. She doesn't turn to do the same. Her eyes are directed to the front of the room, but her mind seems somewhere else and I want to know where that somewhere else is.

"Aaliyah, please talk to me," I say as softly as I can. She doesn't answer.

"Aaliyah, what happened?" She still doesn't say anything.

Her knees are bent and curled up to her chest. Her hair is now out of her bun and is cascading down around her like a barrier. Her uniform is wrinkled slightly and her tie is no where to be found. (Maybe she didn't have it on today?) And… she isn't crying much anymore only an occasional tear or two.

These details are what I notice as watch her. I watch her for a long time. And soon she starts to watch me back.

She peers at me strangely with her glassy eyes that start to water once again.

"Come here," I say gently.

She jumps back in surprise. "Huh?" Aaliyah asks confused. She blinks at me, unsureness in her eyes.

"Come here," I repeat.

She tilts her head at me, still bewildered and a tad thoughtful. Then, she crawls into my lap slowly like an afraid bear, like she isn't sure if she is falling into a trap or not. I wrap my arms around her cautiously and she tucks her head into the crook of my neck. Her heartbeat is steady and as is mine. Her nose tickles my chest. It doesn't take too long before she starts to talk.

"He came to me today."

"Who?"

"F-Fred." She stops before she continues, " he cornered me after class. He s-said he w-wanted to speak to me alone."

Aaliyah stumbles over her words and tears start to soak into my shirt. "He told me that I… s-shouldn't be using h-his cousin t-to get… to him like that. A..and he knows I still have feelings for h-him and that h-he made a horrible mistake by l-letting me go."

I peer down at her and she peers up at me nervously. Never had I ever thought I would see someone look as vulnerable as she did in that moment and I wanted to punch Fred in the face for causing it. He had no right to talk to her alone. No, not after he cheated on her _and_ broke up with her afterwards. James told me that he never gave her a full explanation on why he did it. So why did he want to tell her now? It is way too late for that. Far too late.

The next part came out in an afraid whisper:

"He said h-he...he...l-loved me… and that... that is why he cheated on me. He said he got sc-scared and ac-acted out. Why would he do that? Why tell me n-now? W-why after all t-this time w-would he d-do that?"

She keeps repeating this to herself a couple more times as if she thought that the more she said it, the less she would believe or the more it would make sense.

She hides herself, face buried into my button-up. I feel her chest rise up and down against my own. And her fingers lightly trace the buttons on my shirt. For some reason that comforts me. It comforts me to know that she is still breathing normally and that crying and thinking isn't the only thing Aaliyah is doing… she is also trying to distract herself.

"That isn't what scared you, is it?" I voice. Her head tilts up. This tells me that she is hearing what I have to say. "It isn't that he said he loved you that scared you. You saw something else. You saw that he truly loved you and wouldn't give up on you. It was in his eyes, wasn't it?"

I wait for a reply and instead, I get a nod.

A silent extends between the two us. One that hangs there like it was there for a reason. And the silence gives me some time to think, something I haven't been doing through this whole whirlwind.

Aaliyah Herseth is in my arms.

 _Willingly._

And I am comforting her.

 _Willingly._

And I am okay with that.

Well, isn't that peculiar?

I take another glance down at her to make sure I've got this all done right. She's still there but her attention isn't on her surroundings. Instead, she is consumed with her thoughts just like me.

She's always seemed quite big to me with her height being somewhere around 5'8" but now she seems small, delicate. She herself is fragile but her eyes give off a strong determination to not break, to not let Fred get to her like this. This makes me admire her.

I notice her hand has a fist full of my shirt in it. How had I not noticed this before? She clutches on to it, not letting go. This reminds me of Gabby. I don't know why. It just does. This is the first time that I see her sister in her. They are nothing alike in looks or personality. But this action brings Gabby back. Maybe it is because Gabby would have been like this given the situation at hand. Gabby would be clinging on to her sanity just like Aaliyah is doing now. I guess they are really sisters after all.

"You're right," Aaliyah admits breaking my train of thought. I didn't think that she would speak again so this takes me by surprise.

"I am?" I inquire, trying to get her to keep talking, to keep holding on.

"Yeah, you are. And it isn't only that though. I was scared of something else too." She doesn't face me as she talks.

"Scared of what?" I breathe out, curious and afraid of her answer.

This time her concrete-colored eyes hold on to my gaze. They are vividly clear; clear like when a storm disappears to let the sun shine through. "Scared that I was going to give in . Scared that if I let myself, I would start falling for him all over again." Her tone then shifts to a guilt-ridden one. "He tried to kiss me and...I was going to kiss him back, Al. I almost did… and I feel so bad for that… I feel a pit grow in my stomach every time I think about it. I'm so sorry, Al." She shakes her head ashamedly.

She's saying sorry to me. She's saying sorry to me over something she couldn't control and over something she didn't end up committing. Wow… sometimes I forget how innocent she is.

I kiss the top of her head and rest my chin on the top of her head. "You don't need to say sorry for that. It wasn't your fault. And… please don't blame yourself. You were just being human. And if I was girl, I would probably want to kiss Fred too. He is mighty fine," I finish off, bringing some light-hearted humour in to cheer her up. I hear her chuckle softly and I smile down at her. Aaliyah wraps her arms around my waist loosely and snuggles closer, a small,sad smile playing on her lips.

It isn't long before she dozes off. And soon enough, I do the same with my arms still tightly woven around her, trying to protect her from the world.

* * *

 **A/N: I actually wrote this a long time ago. I had this scene planned out really early on and one day I just sat down and typed it all out before I lost all the elements that went into this long scene. Even though it is only one scene I really did feel like this needed to be a stand alone chapter just because I feel that this is a big moment. I really hope I did justice to it. Now I won't ramble any longer and waste your precious time but if you do have the time please drop a review with your thoughts. I would love to hear them!**


	12. Aaliyah: The Aftermath

"Aaliyah," I hear a voice whisper in my head. I bury my head further into something hard, ignoring the voice. My mind is completely blank, it doesn't register anything and nor does it try to.

"Aaliyah," the voice repeats a little louder than before.

And another time, "Aaliyah." This time I feel colder, like the thing that has been keeping me warm has been taken off. A shake of the shoulder forces my eyes open, my eyelashes tangled and my eyes opening to complete darkness.

It takes me sometime to realize what is going on.

I rub my eyes like a child to clear my vision but it's still dark. I touch my hand to my cheek. It has that dry, rough texture that is a result of tears. Had I been crying? Then it all comes crashing down to me like a whiplash.

The dungeons. The familiar voice telling me we need to talk. Turning around to see Fred. The confession. Being backed up against the wall. The almost-kiss. The suffocating feeling of no space and confusion. Everything.

Running away. Tears. Albus. More Tears. Another almost-kiss. Tears. Him leading me to a room. Playing the scene over and over in my head till it hurt. Another confession. Comfort. His arms. Then sleep, peaceful sleep.

All of a sudden the same male voice from before whispers, "lumos." A bright white light suddenly appears in the darkness and my eyes close at the shock. Slowly I open them again, blinking a few times to register the change. Albus watches me strangely, an unreadable look on his face. He gives me a small smile and I take in my surroundings.

It seems likes I'm still in the classroom Albus took me to. The dark makes it appear to be spookier than it should. The dinginess of it now gives more of a haunted impression. A breeze passes by and I let out a shiver. My robes aren't on so the chilliness affects me more than it usually does. I can already feel goosebumps on my arms. What's weird is that it doesn't seem like I'm sitting on the cold, hard floor. My attention goes back to Albus. He's still watching me and I look down to see that I'm in his lap.

I'm in _Albus Potter_ 's lap.

My eyes widen and I hurry to get off.

I dust myself off and on instinct wipe my cheek as if to hide tears that aren't there.

My head feels a bit heavy and throbs slightly and my legs are wobbly from sitting down so long. I try to take a step and almost tumble down when a hand catches me by the arm.

"Easy there," Albus says. He genuinely sounds like he care. He shouldn't care. He's not supposed to care.

I don't say anything, my throat has a dry, itchy feeling and hurts when I gulp. I gently take my arm out of his arm.

I'm probably a sorry sight right now. With all the crying my eyes are probably bloodshot. My hair is out of its previous bun, disheveled and frizzed at the ends: the perfect picture of a bird's nest.

My uniform is even a worse sight I notice inspecting it. My white button up had lost its iron, wrinkled everywhere and the collars wilted. My skirt is still fine but my high socks have rolled down a few inches. I consider trying to fix them by pulling them up to its original length but I don't bother.

What's worse is the queasy feeling in my stomach and the heat I can feel running up my body and onto my cheeks: embarrassment

I twiddle my fingers as I glance up to find him staring out the window.

He seems to be contemplating something. I hadn't said anything since I woke up, I realise. I should probably say something but my vocal cords, it turns out, don't want to work.

When I finally voice something, my words sound scratchy. "What time is it?"

He turns around, surprised I've said anything. "Not sure. By the looks of it, it is some time past midnight."

I nod and all of a sudden my stomach lets out a very loud growl. Like I couldn't be embarrassed enough in this situation.

A small smile comes on his face yet again. "Hungry?"

"I didn't make it to dinner," I mutter loud enough so he can hear me but not loud enough to fill the whole room.

He nods and walks to the door. It screeches open and he makes a motion with his hand for me to go first.

"You don't have to walk me back to the common room. I know my way around the castle."

"We're going to the kitchens."

"I know the way to the kitchens too. You don't need to escort me." He shouldn't have to escort me. I already feel like I owe him for last night as it is… I don't need to owe him anymore.

He sighs. "I didn't make it to dinner either," he admits. What he doesn't say is why he didn't make it to dinner: me.

I make my feet move forward and grudgingly walk out the door. He follows, squeaking the door shut behind him.

At first we don't say anything. The only sound is our feet hitting the floor and the only light is coming from Albus' wand and the few lamps hanging on the walls.

I become aware of my own wand being missing. I remember having it after class, it had been inside my school bag. Wait… where is my school bag? And my cloak had been on too… I think I took it off after seeing Fred though. Where is it now? And today is a school day. I skid to a stop.

Albus notices and raises an eyebrow in question.

I shake my head at myself. "My school bag, my wand, my cloak… I think I left them somewhere."

He frowns at first then widens his eyes slightly. "And we have classes today."

I nod, cringing at my own stupidity.

He pinches his nose, he's probably frustrated at me. Hell, even I'm frustrated at myself.

"Do you remember where you left it?" he asks.

I rack my brains for an answer. It takes a while to remember. "Um… I think I locked myself in a broom closet after I saw Fred… to think things through and I guess I left them there," I find myself saying and right after I wish I hadn't. It sounded so pathetic… so weak.

"Do you know which broom closet?" he asks, not affected by the fact that I locked myself in a broom closet after I saw his cousin to basically hide myself from the world.

"It was in the dungeons… somewhere near the Potions classroom I'm pretty sure."

"I think I know which one you're talking about." I hide my surprise, my description was very vague. How could he possibly know which one? But then… he did practically live in the dungeons with the Slytherin Common Room being down there and all. "Okay then, we'll go find your bag and cloak and then go to kitchens."

We both turn around, changing our course of direction with him leading the way and me slightly terrified of going down to the dungeons.

* * *

You know how the dungeons are sort of creepy during the day? Well imagine that except with dark hallways only lit by dim, flaxen-colored lights. The only other source of light is Albus' wand which I am now truly grateful for.

The dungeons are also colder than the main castle, much colder. It's as if there is a constant breeze coming from an open door that never shuts.

I try to hide my shivering and force my teeth to not chatter by clamping them shut. I end up watching the two shadows shaded onto the floor beneath my feet, trying to distract myself from my dreary surroundings.

"You're cold." He breaks the silence and I turn to see that he isn't looking at me but the path ahead.

I shrug, not denying it but not outright telling him that I am, in fact, freezing my arse off.

He then does something I don't expect. He takes his cloak off in a swift movement and holds it out for me to take. I shouldn't be surprised by his kindness anymore, if you could call it kindness that is. I've been around him long enough that I should start expecting him to be caring and considerate but this 'kindness' doesn't fit into the Albus Potter I've pictured in my mind for so long.

I reach my hand out to take the cloak but then pull by hand back. "Won't you be cold?"

He shrugs nonchalantly. "This place is practically my home. I'm used to the cold." He's referring to the Slytherin Common Room being down here.

I nod and take the cloak, putting my arms through the wide arm holes. The cloak tail drags behind as we walk, clearly a bit too big for me but I don't mind.

I'm distracted by the smell of cologne stuck to the fabric when he speaks again. "Have you spoke to James recently?"

"No," I answer honestly. "Why?"

"Just asking," he says, shaking his head at himself. "Have you talked to Gabby?"

"Yeah, I talked to her yesterday. Why?" I ask again wondering why he wanted to know.

"Have you noticed anything off about them?" He runs a hand through his hair.

"No, not really. Have you? Noticed anything off, I mean." Had I missed something going on? Maybe I should pay more attention.

He suddenly stops. "Do you… do you think they have feelings for each other?" It finally dawns on me what he is talking about.

"Honestly, I think they do." I cringe on instinct which is odd. Why would the thought of them of make me cringe? They certainly aren't exactly cringe-worthy, are they?

He sighs. "I had a feeling." A frown comes on his face. He doesn't look too happy about the idea but then I'm not happy about it either.

"You don't look happy about it."

"The idea of them sounds," he stops, searching for right word, "messy."

"Messy?" I question his word choice, sort of amused that he just called his brother and my sister messy as if they were an unclean room or crinkled piece of paper.

"You know what I mean… it seems complicated."

I nod in understanding before offering up an idea of my own. "Maybe they feel the same about us."

He sighs again. "But that's different… we don't have feelings for each other."

"Aw, you don't have feelings for me? And I was beginning to feel like I was growing on you." I pout at him and he smiles to himself probably thinking my antics are silly. I can't decide if it is a good or bad thing that I can make conversation with him this easily even after a crying episode from my part.

We don't say anything for a while and then he breaks silence. Again. "Did you know that Gabby was my first crush?"

I almost stop walking at his revelation. Thinking through it, it makes sense for him to have a crush of Gabby. Gabby's pretty and unafraid of standing up for what she believes in and has this consistency I don't have. She was his first friend outside of his family. It makes perfect sense… then why do I have this pit in my stomach.

"When?" I ask, curiosity gnawing at me.

"Since I first set eyes on her."

This time my feet stop moving. The idea of love at first sight is too romantic. He can't be serious, right?

He sees my stiff posture and lets out a laugh. "I'm only joking, Aaliyah." I let out a breath and we keep walking. I still feel the pit in my stomach.

"So when if not at first sight?"

"When I was nine." _How young_ , I can't help but think.

"How long?"

"Two years." He smiles as he says it. Two years meant up till he was eleven meaning till Gabby was twelve. He still had a crush on her when she went off to Hogwarts. This for some odd reason brings a smile onto my face. The pit contracts.

"So you still had a crush on her when she went off to Hogwarts?" I tease.

He puts a hand through his hair again, embarrassment written on his face. "Yeah."

"Were you devastated?" I can't help but ask. I'm prying, I realise.

He lets out a long breath. "The summer before she left felt like hell. Well… that's what I remember. I think my kid self was a little overdramatic but that's how I remember it. I wrote to her like every week for most of that year."

"Trust me, you aren't exaggerating. I thought the world was going to end when James left." I laugh at the childish thought.

"You wrote to him, right?"

"Yeah, I wrote to him once a week. Sometimes even twice a week. I was always disappointed when his replies were only a few lines when I wrote him pages."

"James has never been good with letters."

"No he really isn't." I smile at the thought of him. I haven't seen him since the Halloween. I make a quick mental note to visit him in the Gryffindor Common Room.

"He owled you more than Mum, I think. I clearly remember Mum always complaining to Dad about how his older son only writes to her once in a blue moon."

I laugh. I can picture Ginny doing that.

Another silence.

"So… have you ever had a crush on James?" He stares at his feet when saying this.

"No," I say instinctively, being asked the same question by Ellie and Annie countless times.

He doesn't seem to believe me. "Really?"

"Yes, _really_ ," I emphasise.

"Huh." He ponders over what I said before saying, "Why?"

"Well… why not?" I counter.

"You have met James, right? Funny, charming…" his words run off.

"Yeah, so?"

"Do you think he's ever had a crush on you?"

I laugh at this before the noise dies in my throat. That's what I thought of Seth, that he couldn't possibly have a crush on me but I was wrong. I push the thought out of my head.

"I don't know… does it really matter? He likes Gabby now anyway."

He nods and we fall into another silence that stretches till we find the door we're looking for.

Albus pushes open the closet door and I peer inside, immediately locating the faint outline of my bag in the dark. I quickly grab it and sling it on my shoulder. I then grab my cloak, dusting it off first. I take out my wand when I exit, whispering a quiet "lumos", and Albus closes the door shut.

We then make our way out of the dungeons.

I don't give his cloak back though. I like the smell too much.

* * *

An hour later I find myself at the entrance of Ravenclaw Tower, my stomach not growling anymore and my wand stored away.

"What is the difference between an invisibility charm and a disillusionment charm?" the knocker says with the same voice it always asks with: firm and calm. It's like the time of day has no effect on it.

"The invisibility charm renders the object invisible while the disillusionment charm makes the object blend into their surroundings like a chameleon," I answer.

"Correct." The door swings open and I turn back to Albus. Our cold fingers brush against each other as I hand his cloak back. We don't say good night or see you later or whatever other couples say. We just hold each other's gazes till he nods and I nod back. I then enter the tower. I don't turn back to see him leave.

In the morning I wake up earlier than usual: six o'clock. I don't yawn, I don't stretch, I don't blink at the curtains. Instead, I pull off my sheets and slip out of bed, trudging my way to the bathroom.

I open the door gently and touch a toe to the floor. The tiles are too cold to walk on as always. I go back and pull on my slippers and then enter the bathroom. Flicking on the light, I examine myself in the mirror. Sleep may make me feel better but it has done my face and hair no good it seems. My skin looks paler than usual making all my freckles stand out even more. My eyes are less puffy than before but you can still tell I'd been crying. And my hair is well... a tangled mess.

Sighing I pick up a comb and pull it through my hair. This gets rid of all the tangles but I can't do anything about the slight frizziness at ends since I am all out of anti-frizz potion. It takes another twenty minutes for me to make myself look semi decent before I head out of the bathroom and change into my uniform.

Swinging my school bag over my shoulder I look back at Ellie and Annie's beds. It's too early to wake them up and I don't want to ask them to go to breakfast with me because of my demanding stomach. You would think having a late dinner would make you less hungry in the morning but it turns that that is not the case.

Starving, I make my way out of the dormitory and down the stairs.

When I reach the Great Hall, only a few students are there. Taking a seat at the Ravenclaw table, I make myself a breakfast plate filled with toast, eggs and fruits.

As time passes by, more students start to pour in. When I finish my food, I take out my Transfiguration textbook and start to reread the chapter we are currently on.

I only take my eyes off the book when Ellie and Annie take a seat in front of me.

"Good Morning." I smile.

Ellie looks at me with narrowed eyes. "It is not a good morning, Aaliyah. It never is a good morning because mornings can't be good. Maybe there can be a good afternoon or good evening but not a good morning. Who ever made the greeting up must have been a filthy liar."

Did I forget to mention that Ellie isn't a morning person?

Ellie sits there looking at all food laid out in front of her but doesn't pick up her plate to start filling it up. She looks from the food to me and then flashes me her teeth.

I roll my eyes at her. She wants me to make her plate. Typical.

I do it anyway and fill her plate with toast and bacon and hand her a bowl of cornflakes with milk.

When I hand it to her, she grins even wider. "Did I mention that you are my favorite friend?"

"Yes, but it doesn't hurt to hear it a couple more times," I reply, pouting.

Annie rolls her eyes this time, but I can tell she's amused.

"Where were you last night?" Annie asks, spooning some eggs onto her plate.

"Yeah, you never made it to dinner. And you weren't at the dorm when we fell asleep." Ellie frowns, a suspicious look on her face.

I don't bother to lie. "Oh, I ended up meeting up with Albus in a classroom and we talked. We sort of lost track of time and ended up falling asleep there. We woke up a few hours later and went down to the kitchens since we both missed dinner." So I may not have mentioned the breakdown. I don't want them to worry, okay? And if Ellie finds out that Fred is bothering me, she'll probably threaten him and punch him. And maybe take Isaac along to restrain Fred while she gets in a punch or two. And Annie will have this worried, cautious look on her face for a week. It would just be a mess really.

Annie and Ellie glance at each other before looking back at me with a devious smile on their faces."You ended up _talking_ all night?"

"Yeah." I ignore the connotation.

"Fine, don't tell us. It's not like we are your friends or anything." Ellie raises an eyebrow at me.

"What do you want to hear? That we were snogging all night?" I scoff. I grab my goblet of orange juice and drink from it. Let them think what they want. Not that I care or anything. Okay so maybe I do care. Do I really seem like the type to miss dinner because my tongue was preoccupied?

"Well… were you?" Annie's voice is so plain and calm as she says this that I almost choke on my drink.

"No," I cry out.

"Wow Aaliyah, you are a prude," Ellie teases before changing the topic. "You said you went to the kitchens?"

I nod, not understanding why this piece of information is so important.

"So you know where it is?"

I nod again, finally realising what she's playing at. Ellie wants to know where the kitchens are. She's been trying to find out since third year when her cousin, Aidan, let slip that he knows the location. She's even tried following him but it never worked since Aidan seemed to always know when she was on his tail.

"Ellie, I'm not telling you," I sigh.

"Why not?" She pouts for good measure.

"Because." My reasoning is great, I know.

"It's not like it is a secret or anything, is it?"

"Well… kind of." I don't tell her that I've known where they are since fourth year.

"Please," she drawls out, "think of all the times I've wanted a midnight snack and haven't gotten one."

Annie snorts at this, clearly remembering giving Ellie her stashed-away chocolate when this sort of situation happens.

"Fine," I admit, defeated. "But two can't tell anyone else. Not even Seth or Isaac."

"Why can't we tell them?" Ellie looks confused. We usually share everything we know with them.

"Because the more people that know, the more people will find out. We don't want all of Hogwarts know where the kitchens are, do we? Think about the poor house elves," Annie points out.

Ellie nods, going along with it. I'm pretty sure what convinced her is the house elves. She has a soft spot for them.

"It's located right under the Great Hall, near the Hufflepuff basement," I whisper.

Ellie's eyes widen. Annie thinks about it for a second before asking, "How do you get in? There has to be some sort of magical door or something."

"There is painting of a bowl of fruit. You have to tickle the pear and then a door knob will appear."

"You have to tickle the pear?" Annie clarifies, not really believing it at first.

"Yup."

Ellie leans back and lets out a 'huh'. She seems pleased with herself and goes back to eating her cereal.

"So that is where the house elves are usually at," Annie mutters to herself.

Hearing this, Ellie pipes in, "Do they talk to you when you go there?"

"Uh huh." I smile, watching Ellie's face break out into a wonderstruck look.

Right at the moment, I spot Seth and Isaac making their way toward us. Seth takes a seat next to me while Isaac plops down next to Ellie.

"Watcha ladies talking about?" Isaac starts to pile food onto his plate. Seth follows suit, a yawn escaping him as he did. He's still sleepy, I realise.

"House elves," Annie and I answer in unison.

Isaac peers at Ellie, taking in the awestruck look in her eyes. "You okay there, Ells?" His voice is laced with amusement. He has always found it funny that Ellie, the tough beater of the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, has a weakness for magical creatures that like serving others.

"Huh," she blinks and shakes her head, "yeah, fine."

"So why were you talking about house elves?" Seth scans our faces as if searching for something off about the situation.

Annie, Ellie and I look at each before we all blurt out, "Hermione Weasley." I want to say we have super powers and can read each others mind but alas it is only because we are all smart enough to think up the best cover up.

Isaac suddenly seems more interested in the conversation. He even stops eating which is odd for a growing teenage boy. All they do is eat I tell you.

"She's great, isn't she?" Let me clarify, Isaac doesn't have a crush on her or anything. He just admires her… a lot. He has a dad who works at the ministry and is in the same department as her so he's grown up hearing of all of her accomplishments in fighting for the rights of magical creatures and passing laws to stop bias based on blood status. She is kind of his role model. If his Quidditch career doesn't work out his back up plan is to work in the same department as her.

We all then dive into a conversation about the golden trio but not about how they defeated the darkest wizard of all time. Instead, we talk about all the good they've done after that. As cliche as it sounds, almost every young wizard or witch has looked up to them and strived to be them at some point in their life. You can't really help it. Even I can't help it and growing up, they've babysat me.

When our conversation dies down, we all share a look, clearly asking each other if we should starting heading for our first class. We all stand up and walk together to Transfiguration with Annie grumbling all the way. She really doesn't like that class.

* * *

When I enter Blackwell's classroom, I don't see a familiar head of jet-black hair. I can't help but sigh in relief.

I end up avoiding the same person for the rest of the day: ducking around corridors when I spy a tall Slytherin, changing my route when I see a group of blonde, black and brown-haired boys, and making sure the seat next to me is taken before he enters in the classes I have with him.

I don't know what makes me do it. I just can't make myself turn around in classes to find him looking at me questioningly, or let him come up to talk to me between classes or anything that has to do with him really.

All I know is the queasy feeling in my stomach and the thought in my head that he saw me break down and held me and that I could never repay him for his kindness. Ever.

* * *

The next day, when afternoon classes are finished, I find myself knocking at the entrance of the Gryffindor Common Room.

"Can you be quieter? Honestly, I'm trying to take a nap here," the fat lady scolds. She then goes off to mumble that in the old days other houses never set foot in the Gryffindor Tower. The portrait then swings open and Molly smiles at me.

"Looking for James?"

"Yeah." I smile awkwardly.

She nods her head in direction behind her. "He's in there, near the fire." She makes room for me to slip past her.

I'm immediately warmer when I enter, the heat of the fire reaching me quickly. I spot James where Molly said he would be and am glad that he is alone. He's gazing off at the fire, lost in his thoughts when I go sit next to him.

He is surprised at first but then, realising it is only me, breaks out into a lazy smile.

"Hey," he greets.

"Hey, what're you doing alone? Something on your mind?" He may be talking to me but it looks like what he was thinking about is still bothering him.

"Just nothing and everything." He leans back and rests his head on the top of the couch, closing his eyes briefly.

"Anything in particular?" I slip off my shoes and pull my legs up on the couch, allowing them to make a criss cross formation.

He blinks his eyes open and has a sad smile on this time. "The tape," he sighs, rubbing a hand over his face.

I sigh with him but not for the same reason he is. "You know you can tell me right," I repeat for what seems the millionth time. We've had this conversation many times.

"Yeah, I know. You know why I don't tell you, right?" he says, falling into the same pattern as last time.

"Yes James, I know why." I sigh, not annoyed but frustrated.

"Then maybe you should stop asking." He winks teasingly but I know that he just wants me to take the hint and not ask anymore. He should know by now that curiosity always gets to me and that I'm not very good at letting things go.

"Maybe I'll stop asking when you decide to tell me." I flash my teeth at him and he chuckles, pulling me into a hug. I grumble at him, telling him that he's messing up my hair and he lets me go. I really don't mind him hugging me, and I don't really care if he messes up my hair or not. I just don't want him think that I'm giving in and not going to press on about it anymore.

"Maybe you should be a Ravenclaw right now and know that the information isn't worth the consequences."

"Ronan won't find out that I know, James. And how do you know that she doesn't think I already know about the tape?" I pester, using reason to make him tell me about it.

"How long do you think this will go on?" I frown at him.

"Me asking about it? Probably forever."

"Oh, no I wasn't talking about that. I already know you will bother me about it forever," he laughs and continues, "I'm talking about this game that we're playing."

"Honestly?" He nods. "I think the only ones making the real moves are you, Gabby and Ronan. I think the rest of us are just pawns." And it's true. Albus, Fred, and I, and all the rest are just pawns in the end. We're what Ronan uses to play the game she wants to play, trying to dispose of us when she's done with us, while James and Gabby are the ones protecting us.

He laughs. "You're not a pawn, Aaliyah."

I raise an eyebrow at him. He explains further. "You're the king, I'm your knight and Gabby's the bishop."

"I'm the king?" I question him, disbelief evident in my tone. He nods. "Then, daresay, who is my queen?"

He answers with a straight face. "Al, of course." And we both start laughing, clutching our stomachs and leaning against each other. It isn't even that funny but to us it is. Maybe we just need a laugh. Or maybe the image of Albus being a queen really is that funny. Or maybe… just maybe we both need comfort.

When we calm down he reminds me that I never really did answer his question.

"It'll go on till your king and pawns don't need protecting anymore."

We sit there in silence for a while. I rest my head on his shoulder and he stares out into the fire again.

I'm so lost in my thoughts that I almost miss his whisper. "Ask Albus about it."

I nod, what I don't tell him is that I can't ask his brother about the tape because I'm too busy ignoring him.

* * *

I am walking to the common room, just finished with my homework at the library, when I hear him.

"You know what the thing about avoidance is? It's really hard to make it not obvious." He has a bite in his voice and venom in his words. He isn't happy. I can tell that.

I had already known he would catch me off guard at one point so I do the most logical thing: I turn around and face him.

"It's only hard if the person you are avoiding notices," I say in a tired voice. It's been a long week.

He tilts his head to the side, raising a brow in revelation. "So you're admitting to it then?"

I shrug. "Even if I didn't, we both know that's not true." He examines me for a while, his face blank but his eyes searing through me like fire.

The next statement he makes comes out in a whisper. "Three days," his voice goes louder and louder, "You've been avoiding me for three days. Do you know what that means? The people around us have started noticing. And do you know how I know what? Because Scorpius has noticed and Blaine has noticed. Even Kian has fucking noticed because turns out you've had the time to talk to him but not to your freaking boyfriend. And since he has noticed that definitely means Ronan has noticed which can easily bring this whole thing crashing the fuck down. And all of our work for the past month is worth nothing. Do you realise that Herseth or not?" I can't help but notice he used my last name. Somewhere inside me I can feel shame bubbling up. Something flashes in his green eyes just for a moment: disappointment. He's covering up his disappointment by acting mad. I think the disappointment is worse.

"Do you know what else? I'm here on a Friday night, searching for you to try and talk to you when I have a match on Sunday to worry about." His voice quiets down. He runs a hand through his hair. He looks like he needs to punch a wall.

"What do you want me to say?" My voice is steady and unwavering but if you hear closely you can hear the softness of it at the end.

For some reason that appears to be the worst response possible. He leans his back against the wall, not looking at me.

And this gets me angry. I can't explain why. Maybe because I hate being yelled at. Or maybe because I am angry at myself. Maybe I just want to get mad at somebody and he's in the perfect position for me to yell at him.

"What do you want me to say, Potter? Do you want me to say I'm sorry for wasting your time? Or that I'm sorry for distracting you from your game on Sunday? Which is it?" I can hear the coldness in my own words and I cringe on the inside but I can still feel the anger swelling up inside me.

He switches his attention back to me, eyes blazing. He leans off the wall and strides quickly toward me. I take a step back.

"You think I'm mad at you for that? Are you daft? I'm angry because after you broke down, you avoided me! You left me wondering if I did something wrong! I'm mad because I was worried about you and I knew something was still bothering you but you wouldn't just come talk to me about it. You tossed me aside like some abandoned puppy!" The fire in his eyes extinguishes and his breathing comes down heavy on my face. The anger inside me is gone, replaced by guilt.

"An abandoned puppy? You thought I tossed you aside? Like a puppy?" I whisper, not believing that of all people Albus Potter felt tossed aside… by me. And he compared himself to a puppy? I almost smile at how funny that is.

He shakes his head at me before doing the most unexpected thing: he closes the space between us, arms wrapping around my waist and giving me an awkward hug. It takes me a few seconds to wrap my own arms around him. He rests his chin on top of mine and we just stand there for a while.

In these silent moments I come to the conclusion that I've missed him the past few days. And I think he may have missed me too.

"Out of all the things you catch in the conversation… you catch that I compared myself to a puppy?" His body shakes in laughter.

"I'm sorry for making you feel like I tossed you aside," I mumble quietly, my eyes tearing just a bit. The guilt comes back and I try to gulp it down.

"It's okay." He kisses the top of my head. "And please don't cry. I'm not very good with crying women."

I laugh, a little embarrassed that he knew I was about to tear up.

The next thing he says come out in a whisper. "Is this how you felt with Fred? Tossed aside?"

One word slips out of my mouth: "worse."

I can feel him nod.

"Can I ask you one thing?" I nod in answer.

"Don't ever do this again, okay?"

"Okay."

And he believes me. And I think I believe me too.


End file.
